[Python-Dev] mingw32 and gc-header weirdness

["Martin v. Löwis"]

> To Martin: So I disagree. The gc header is not responsible for
> alignment in the first place, but to propagate it, correctly.

I think we are in agreement in this respect. That's the whole point
of the long double: to make the gc head's alignment the maximum
alignment on that platform

> And this fails miserably (in principle) since years.

Here I agree. In principle, it works fine - it is just perhaps
incomplete.

> Proposal: We should use a simple construct that makes the
> gc header size simply a multiple of 8 or 16, whatever needed.
> Even a byte array would be ok.

How would you implement that? In particular, how do you determine
what is needed?

> But please no long double :-)

Well, the long double needs to stay, as for some platforms, long
double is indeed the type with the maximum alignment.

I propose to add another (regular) double into the union.

Regards,
Martin