[Python-Dev] Make the stable API-ABI usable (original) (raw)

Nick Coghlan ncoghlan at gmail.com
Sat Nov 18 08:50:01 EST 2017

On 18 November 2017 at 11:05, Victor Stinner <victor.stinner at gmail.com> wrote:

Hi,

tl; dr I propose to extend the existing "stable API" to make it almost as complete as the current API. For example, add back PyTupleGETITEM() to be stable API, but it becomes a function call rather than a macro. The final question is if it's not too late to iterate on an implementation of this idea for Python 3.7? Knowing that the stable API doesn't affect the "current API" at all, since the "new C API" (extended stable API) would only be accessible using an opt-in flag.

I'm -1 on expanding the stable API/ABI in 3.7 (especially without a PEP), but I'm +1 on refactoring the way we maintain it, with a view to expanding it (with function calls substituting in for the macros in Py_LIMITED_API mode) in 3.8.

This isn't an urgent change, but the strict backwards compatibility policy means it's one where we'll be stuck with any mistakes we make for a long time. (Proper use of symbol versioning might offer a subsequent escape clause, but that introduces its own cross-platform compatibility problems).

Cheers, Nick.

-- Nick Coghlan | ncoghlan at gmail.com | Brisbane, Australia

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