[Python-Dev] ctypes and win64

[Steve Holden]

Tim Peters wrote:
> [Steve Holden]
> 
>>> Reasonable enough, but I suspect that Thomas' suggestion might save us
>>> from raising false hopes. I'd suggest that the final release
>>> announcement point out that this is the first release containing
>>> specific support for 64-bit architectures (if indeed it is)
> 
> 
> [Martin v. Löwis]
> 
>> It isn't. Python ran on 64-bit Alpha for nearly a decade now (I guess),
>> and was released for Win64 throughout Python 2.4. ActiveState has
>> been releasing an AMD64 package for some time now.
> 
> 
> Python has also been used on 64-bit Crays, and I actually did the
> first 64-bit port in 1993 (to a KSR Unix machine -- took less than a
> day to get it running fine!  Guido's an excellent C coder.).  Win64 is
> the first (and probably only forever more) where sizeof(long) <
> sizeof(void*), and that caused some Win64-unique pain, and may cause
> more.
> 
> BTW, at least two of the people at the NFS sprint earlier this year
> were compiling and running Python on Win64 laptops.  It's "solid
> enough", and surely nobody expects that Win64 users expect 100%
> perfection of anything they run <0.5 wink>.
> 
I suppose we should be grateful thirteen years experience has gone into 
64-bit support. I agree that "some breakage may occur" is true of any 
release and architecture though in the eyes of this lurker, at least, 
python-dev does a more-than-averagely conscientious job.

It's going to be very interesting to see what comes out of the Google 
sprints. I am sure the 64-bitters will be out in force, so there'll be 
useful data about any such problems. <irony wink="0.97">64 bits is, I am 
sure, as much as anyone is ever going to need, so the pain will finally 
be over.</irony>

It's good to see the idea of industry support for open source sprints 
taking off. Tomorrow, the world ... :-)

regards
  Steve
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