[Python-Dev] 2.5 and beyond

[Neal Norwitz]

On 7/4/06, Thomas Heller <theller at python.net> wrote:
>
> I would like to ask about the possibility to add some improvements to ctypes
> in Python 2.5, although the feature freeze is now in effect.  Hopefully former
> third-party libraries can have the freeze relaxed somewhat;-).

Ok, former third-party libraries get a 1e-308 reprieve. :-)

I think the general answer is to plan some way that you could make an
external release to support the other communities like numpy.  I don't
know the details, but I believe Barry does this with email.  This
would allow Python to be more stable, but allow additional features
for the communities that are interested in installing an additional
ctypes release.

> I intend to do these changes, the first is a small and trivial one, but allows
> a lot of flexibility:
>
> - Remove the restriction that the argtypes attribute of foreign functions must
>   be ctypes types.  Instead they are only required to implement a .from_param
>   class method.

This patch is ok.  I will add comments to the patch on SF.

> The second one is more involved, and not yet complete.  I can post the patch
> or a link to it for review when it is implemented completely:
>
> - Implement the __array_struct__ attribute as describes by the numpy pep at
>   http://numpy.scipy.org/array_interface.html.

This is too much to add to a beta.  Perhaps you could work on a branch
to add these features and integrate the branch back in after 2.5 has
been released.  You could make an external release from the branch.

n