[Python-Dev] Re: [Python-checkins]python/dist/src/Objects unicodeobject.c, 2.197, 2.198

[Jeff Epler]

On Mon, Sep 22, 2003 at 01:18:32PM +0200, M.-A. Lemburg wrote:
> While working on the config changes, I noticed that Python now
> defaults to UCS4 when it find a Tcl/Tk version that supports UCS4...
> 
> I can't say that I particularly like this, since the config script
> now makes an implicit choice based on the third-party software
> configuration with consequences that are not made obvious for the
> user.
> 
> E.g. on platforms that happen to have Tcl/tk installed
> with UCS4 configuration, Python will compile using UCS4 (regardeless
> of whether the user wants to use Tcl/Tk or not), on system
> that don't have such Tcl/tk installation, Python compiles using
> UCS2.
> 
> I'd suggest to make the UCS4 choice explicit again.

See the (complete lack of) discussion on the bug at
http://python.org/sf/798202

I can only say that this is a convenient patch for me, and probably for
any redhat9 user who has not built his own tcl/tk.  On the other hand,
this patch is unlikely to actually affect anybody on a different
platform.

I don't think it's such a bad idea to have Python detect the
configuration it must use to make a very important, bundled extension
work properly.  Would you feel any different if a different patch was
added, which made --enable-unicode=tcl enable the behavior of this
patch?

Jeff