[Python-Dev] IPv6 and Windows

[Tim Peters]

[Martin v. Loewis]
> ...
> So the only question then is where we get an implementation of these
> functions if the system doesn't provide one. itojun has suggested the
> WIDE libraries; since they apparently don't compile on Windows, I've
> suggested the MS TP emulation. If the latter is not acceptable, we
> either have to fix the WIDE implementation to work on Windows also;

I don't have cycles for this, but will cheerily <wink> suggest that the WIDE
problems didn't appear especially deep, just "the usual" careless brand of
Unix+gcc+glibc specific coding.  For example, HAVE_LONG_LONG is #define'd on
Windows, but, just as in Python source, you can't *use* "long long"
literally, you have to use the LONG_LONG macro instead.  Then Windows
doesn't have an offsetof() macro, or an snprintf() either.  Etc.  The code
is in trouble exactly where it relies on platform-specific extensions to the
std C language and library.  Problems with those won't be unique to Windows,
either, which is a deeper concern (but already well expressed by others).

It would be nice if Python could contribue portability back to WIDE.  That
requires worker bees, though, and lots of x-platform testing.  If it turns
out we can't swing that, then support for this is premature, and we should
wait, e.g., for WIDE to put more effort into porting their code.