[Python-Dev] Searching Python docs (Was: Python sidebar for Mozilla/Netscape) (original) (raw)

Tim Peters tim.one@comcast.net
Sat, 06 Apr 2002 15:30:16 -0500

[Fred L. Drake, Jr.]

His concern is that we may not be sufficiently interested in the Windows platform, which is what's on his desktop. This is not an unreasonable concern, given the appearant misunderstanding of Tim's meaning when he described our approach to the Windows port "reactive".

I'm not sure John misunderstood my meaning badly, unless he read it as saying we ignore the Windows platform (which we certainly don't). We (PLabs) do very little in the way of seeking ways to improve Python on Windows specifically: we react to bug reports, and I sometimes sneak in a Windows "new feature" when a lack bites me in the butt (like adding os.waitpid() for Win32 in 2.3). But that's also true of Linux, and even more true of Macs than of Windows. The big difference is that Python's users contribute very little to improve Python on Windows specifically, compared to what they contribute for other OSes.

So I don't object to calling our Windows-specific support "reactive" -- it overwhelmingly is, by any reasonable reading of the word. If John believes PLabs support of other OSes is not similarly reactive, though, then he's mistaken. I expect what he'd like to see is the kind of loving platform-specific support Jack Jansen contributes for the Mac. Mark Hammond is the only hope for that on Windows. Speaking of which, Mark's win32 extensions still aren't part of the core, and to any true Windows-head that probably appears as if PLabs "doesn't like" Windows (which isn't the case, but try explaining finite resources to a user ).