Compiling Python 1.6 under MacOS X ...

[Tim Peters]

[Thelonious Georgia]
> I'm trying to get the 1.6 sources to compile under the public
> beta of MacOS X. I ran ./configure, then make, and it does a pretty
> noble job of compiling, up until I get:
>
> cc -g -O2 -I./../Include -I.. -DHAVE_CONFIG_H   -c -o unicodectype.o
> unicodectyc
> cc: Internal compiler error: program cpp-precomp got fatal signal
> 11make[1]:
> *** [unicodectype.o] Error 1
> make: *** [Objects] Error 2
> [dhcppc4:~/Python-1.6] root#
>
> cc -v returns:
> Reading specs from /usr/libexec/ppc/2.95.2/specs
> Apple Computer, Inc. version cc-796.3, based on gcc driver version 2.7.2.1
> exec2
>
> I have searched high and low, but can find no mention of this particular
> error (which makes sense, sure, because of how long the beta has
> been out), but any help in getting around this particular error would
> be appreciated.

Since none of the Python developers are working on 1.6 anymore, you'll
likely have much better luck working with the current CVS tree, and
reporting bugs against that on SourceForge (you can report a bug against 1.6
too, of course, but chances are it will only get closed with a "fixed in
2.0" comment).

unicodectype.c has some truly gargantuan "switch" stmts, and that's broken
more than one compiler.  I don't know what it looks in 1.6, but in the CVS
tree it has this near the start:

#if defined(macintosh) || defined(MS_WIN64)
/*XXX This was required to avoid a compiler error for an early Win64
 * cross-compiler that was used for the port to Win64. When the platform is
 * released the MS_WIN64 inclusion here should no longer be necessary.
 */
/* This probably needs to be defined for some other compilers too. It breaks
the
** 5000-label switch statement up into switches with around 1000 cases each.
*/
#define BREAK_SWITCH_UP	return 1; } switch (ch) {
#else
#define BREAK_SWITCH_UP /* nothing */
#endif

I don't have access to the platform you're using, but sure looks like a clue
to me <wink>.

life-will-be-so-much-easier-when-everyone-writes-only-english-ly y'rs  - tim