[Python-Dev] cpython (3.2): Issue #11956: Skip test_import.test_unwritable_directory on FreeBSD when run as

[Cameron Simpson]

On 07Oct2011 13:42, Steven D'Aprano <steve at pearwood.info> wrote:
| Cameron Simpson wrote:
| >On 06Oct2011 04:26, Glyph <glyph at twistedmatrix.com> wrote:
| >| On Oct 5, 2011, at 10:46 PM, Cameron Simpson wrote:
| >| > Surely VERY FEW tests need to be run as root, and they need careful
| >| > consideration. The whole thing (build, full test suite) should
| >| > not run as root.
| >| | This is news to me - is most of Python not supported to run as
| >root?
| >| I was under the impression that Python was supposed to run correctly as
| >| root, and therefore there should be some buildbots dedicated to running
| >| it that way.  If only a few small parts of the API are supposed to work
| >| perhaps this should be advertised more clearly in the documentation?
| >
| >Pretending the snark to be slightly serious: you've missed the point.
| >The builtbots are building unreliable code, that being the point of the
| >test suite. Doing unpredictable stuff as root is bad juju.
| 
| Sorry Cameron, it seems to me that you have missed the point, not
| Glyph.

We're probably both aiming badly.

See my reply to Andrew Bennetts; I'm less concerned if his described
scenario is typical.

[...snip...]
| Doing unpredictable stuff as root on a production machine is bad
| juju. Doing unpredictable stuff as root in order to find out what it
| will do *before* putting it into production is absolutely vital.

Yes yes yes.

| >Running the builtbots and their tests should not be run as root except
| >for a very few special tests, and those few need careful consideration
| >and sandboxing.
| 
| Are you suggested that they aren't currently sandboxed?

No, but it was my instinctive fear.

Please see my reply to Andrew Bennetts. I find nothing to disagree with
in your reply.

Cheers,
-- 
Cameron Simpson <cs at zip.com.au> DoD#743
http://www.cskk.ezoshosting.com/cs/

The word is not the thing.
The map is not the territory.
The symbol is not the thing symbolized.  - S.I. Hayakawa