[Python-Dev] libffi embedded in CPython

[Jim J. Jewett]

On Thu, Dec 18, 2014, at 14:13, Maciej Fijalkowski wrote:
> ... http://bugs.python.org/issue23085 ...
> is there any reason any more for libffi being included in CPython?


Paul Moore wrote:
> Probably the easiest way of moving this forward would be for someone
> to identify the CPython-specific patches in the current version ...

Christian Heimes wrote:
> That's easy. All patches are tracked in the diff file
> https://hg.python.org/cpython/file/3de678cd184d/Modules/_ctypes/libffi.diff

That (200+ lines) doesn't seem to have all the C changes, such as the
win64 sizeof changes from issue 11835.

Besides http://bugs.python.org/issue23085, there is at least
    http://bugs.python.org/issue22733
    http://bugs.python.org/issue20160
    http://bugs.python.org/issue11835

which sort of drives home the point that making sure we have a
good merge isn't trivial, and this isn't an area where we should
just assume that tests will catch everything.  I don't think it
is just a quicky waiting on permission.

I've no doubt that upstream libffi is better in many ways, but
those are ways people have already learned to live with.  

That said, I haven't seen any objections in principle, except
perhaps from Steve Dower in the issues.  (I *think* he was
just saying "not worth the time to me", but it was ambiguous.)

I do believe that Christian or Maciej *could* sort things out well
enough; I have no insight into whether they have (or someone else
has) the time to actually do so.

-jJ

--

If there are still threading problems with my replies, please
email me with details, so that I can try to resolve them.  -jJ