[Python-Dev] Fork on Win32 - was (test_fork1 failing...)

[Guido van Rossum]

> > IIRC ActiveState contributed to Perl a version of fork that works
> > on Win32. Has anyone looked at this? Could it be grabbed for
> > Python? This would help heal one of the more difficult platform
> > rifts. Emulating fork for Win32 looks quite difficult to me but if
> > its already done...

> This would indeed be a *very* useful addition and help porting
> os.fork() applications to Win32. (Ok, in the long run they would
> have to be converted to multi-threaded apps due to the process
> creation overhead on Win32, but for short term porting to Win32
> this would be a Cool Thing, IMHO.)

I have only one word: yuck!

Portable Python code should not rely on fork.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.pythonlabs.com/~guido/)