[Python-Dev] Activating pymalloc (original) (raw)

Tim Peters tim.one@comcast.net
Fri, 15 Mar 2002 02:38:33 -0500

[Guido]

Some extensions will break because they don't use the right alloc/dealloc macros (we just fixed a few of these in Zope)

Are "the right" alloc/dealloc macros documented anywhere? I can't find it, if they are. Much of a pymalloc fan as I am, I'm -1 on introducing it if we can't give extension authors a clear, brief, prominent and self-contained account of the memory rules they're supposed to follow (I don't really know what they are -- I always reverse-engineer it as needed, because I never found a place in the docs that offered sufficient guidance).

[Neal]

A lot of extensions will break. The example code in xxmodule.c was "wrong" for years.

Ditto Zope (as Guido said), ditto Marc-Andre's extensions, ditto NumPy (IIRC), yadda yadda yadda. I don't know whether MarkH has tried the massive Win32 extensions with pymalloc yet.

... I'm afraid users are going to be upset when they upgrade to 2.3 and things start crashing because they are using some broken extension modules.

Oh, the users are always upset: they should view breakage in a new area as a refreshing change of pace .