[Python-Dev] Should Python compile as C++?

[Mark Hammond]

> > I vote for #3 -- if enough software can't compiled with mingw32 the
> > compiler will be fixed, as it should, and I'm happy to help encourage
> > this.
>
> I'm not quite sure if was really a bug in mingw32, but the fact that the
> compiler accepts the code when compiled as C++ is at least inconsistent.

IIRC, msvc has the exact same problem, and that is turns out that the error
is actually correct.  <jeez I hate saying anything like this when I know Tim
is listening :)>  I believe the problem is that C does not guarantee the
initialization order of static objects across object modules.  The Python
idiom of taking the address of a global variable in one module to initialize
another global variable in another module is not guaranteed to do what you
expect.  OTOH, C++ does make such a guarantee.

The good news is that if msvc has the same problem, wherever the blame lies,
you can be fairly sure that something will be done so msvc works (and has
indeed been done for a few modules).  Therefore you get mingw for free :)

Or-something-like-that ly,

Mark.