[Python-Dev] Handling of sys.args (Re: User's complaints)

[Nick Maclaren]

Greg Ewing <greg.ewing at canterbury.ac.nz> wrote:
> 
> > On systems that are not Unix-derived (which, nowadays, are rare),
> > there is commonly no such thing as a program name in the first place.
> > It is possible to get into that state on some Unices - i.e. ones which
> > have a form of exec that takes a file descriptor, inode number or
> > whatever.
> 
> I don't think that applies to the Python args[] though,
> since its args[0] isn't the path of the OS-level
> executable, it's the path of the main Python script.

Oh, yes, it does!  The file descriptor or inode number could refer to
the script just as well as it could to the interpreter binary.

> But you could still end up without one, if the main
> script comes from somewhere other than a file.

I didn't want to include that, to avoid confusing people who haven't
used systems with such features.  Several systems have had the ability
to exec to a memory segment, for example.  But, yes.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren,
University of Cambridge Computing Service,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England.
Email:  nmm1 at cam.ac.uk
Tel.:  +44 1223 334761    Fax:  +44 1223 334679