[Python-Dev] Re: RELEASED Python 2.3.1

[Tim Peters]

[Skip Montanaro]
> We've already established that os.fsync() is required in at least
> some cases on Windows.  It seemed to me that you were trying to
> construct some other cases (possibly involving Cygwin) where that
> wasn't necessary.

Cygwin doesn't appear to need fsync() so long as you stick purely to Cygwin
tools in all processes -- Cygwin appears POSIX-like in that respect.

But Cygwin runs on Windows, and fsync() is still needed in Cygwin Python
programs if native Windows utilities (including the native Windows Python)
are to see correct current file sizes too.

If os.fsync() is missing in Cygwin 2.3.1 (I don't know whether it is, but
suspect that it is), then problems follow from that.  A specific example is
ZODB running under Cygwin, while the ZODB live-backup script repozo.py runs
under native Windows Python.  If the former can't do an fsync(), the latter
can't know the correct current file size.