[Python-Dev] Where to put the interrupt module?

[Guido van Rossum]

> I haven't looked, but is it possible to make it raise an arbitrary
> exception?  Last time I read the PyErr_CheckSignals code it looked possible. 
> (That was yesterday, actually, regarding problems with the SSL module and
> KeyboardInterrupts).

The interrupt module currently uses PyErr_SetInterrupt(), which can
only raise KeyboardInterrupt.

Let's not generalize this until there's a need.  Then, let whoever has
the need add the generalization.

I'm actually a bit wary of such a generalization, because
KeyboardInterrupt is currently the only *asynchronous* exception that
code needs to worry about.  There is plenty of code that gives
KeyboardInterrupt special treatment, typically of the form:

  while MoreWorkToDo:
      try:
	  ...run a chunk of work which may raise arbitrary exceptions...
      except KeyboardInterrupt:
	  raise # Don't keep going in this case
      except:
	  ...report the error and continue...

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)