[Python-bugs-list] [Bug #129293] zlib library used for binary win32 distribution can crash

[noreply@sourceforge.net]

Bug #129293, was updated on 2001-Jan-18 12:41
Here is a current snapshot of the bug.

Project: Python
Category: Windows
Status: Open
Resolution: None
Bug Group: Platform-specific
Priority: 5
Submitted by: greg
Assigned to : mhammond
Summary: zlib library used for binary win32 distribution can crash

Details: The zlib .lib or .dll that is used for the binary distribution of
python 2.0 (both from python.org and in activestate's "build 202" of python
2.0) contains a bug that only seems to show up on some people's win98
systems.  When it does, it appears to be nasty and cause windows crashes
(overwriting other memory, etc..?).

I was able to fix it by building my own copy of the zlib library from
sources and linking the zlib module against that.  Using the win32 binary
distribution of the zlib lib/dlls that is easily findable via a web search
seems to cause the problem (I suspect that is the package used in the
distribution build?).

I can provide both broken and working zlib.pyd files as well as source
archives I found and used to build zlib if desired.

I used MSVC++ 6.0 sp4 to build.

Follow-Ups:

Date: 2001-Jan-19 00:17
By: greg

Comment:
Sorry, I don't have a good test case.  I only know that the problem
exhibits itself in a semi-identifiable manner by sometimes causing win98 on
other people's boxes (in the behavior of all annoying bugs: not on any of
my machines) to pop up an application error dialog pointing to the zlib
dll.  Rebuilding zlib from its sources and linking zlib.pyd using that
fixed it.

For reference: the application we saw this in was mojonation (also a
sourceforge project).

I'll dig out the exact source package we're using for the zlib library as
well as how I built it tomorrow.  The prebuilt winimage.com zlib113dll.zip
that you mention sounds like the one that I can confirm does not work well.
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Date: 2001-Jan-18 23:39
By: tim_one

Comment:
Mark, this rings a bell.  Not the claim of a bug (first I ever heard of
that -- greg, have a short & executable test case?), but that you were keen
at one time to change how we did zlib.  For 2.0, the DLL came from

http://www.winimage.com/zLibDll/zlib133dll.zip

and the rest from

ftp://ftp.uu.net/graphics/png/src/zlib133.zip

If we don't build it ourselves, we've got no handle on possible bugs
(IMO).

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Date: 2001-Jan-18 19:25
By: gvanrossum

Comment:
Thanks!  Doubt this comes in time for 2.1a1, but we'll gladly accept your
services.

I'll defer to our Windows cleaner, Tim, to take action on this.

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For detailed info, follow this link:
http://sourceforge.net/bugs/?func=detailbug&bug_id=129293&group_id=5470