[Python-Dev] The os module, unix and win32

[Dave Brueck]

Barry Scott wrote:
> Why does popen5 needs a C implementation on windows where as
> on unix it can be implemented in python?
>
> Answer: because the unix API is in standard python where as
> the windows one is not.
>
> win32all covers a huge number of API functions, more then would
> be sane to add to os. But would there be any mileage in added
> enough from win32all to allow problems like popen5 to be
> implemented?
>
> There is already the _reg module that has some win32 functions in
> it on the standard install.

Another possibility: we'd get a lot more mileage out of simply adding ctypes to
the standard install. That would solve the immediate popen problem, let us get
rid of _winreg entirely (and replace it with a pure Python version), and make
future Win32 problems easier to solve.

-Dave