[Python-ideas] History stepping in interactive session?

[Stephen J. Turnbull]

Andy Buckley writes:

 > So one last question, in case it is an acceptable python-ideas topic:
 > how about adding readline-like support by default in the
 > interpreter?

If readline-like support is available on the system, it's used.
However, it's apparently only readline-like.  For example, on Mac OS
X, the BSD-licensed libedit readline emulation is used by default, it
appears.  I wouldn't expect full functionality there.

On GNU/Linux systems, as I wrote, True GNU readline is used.  Why this
particular function isn't bound or doesn't work right, I don't know
offhand.  It is apparently a bug (my Python sources are from April,
but I can't see why this would change), since the sources say
(ll. 927-931 of Modules/readline.c):

    /* Initialize (allows .inputrc to override)
     *
     * XXX: A bug in the readline-2.2 library causes a memory leak
     * inside this function.  Nothing we can do about it.
     */

 but even adding a binding to .inputrc doesn't work for me (Gentoo Linux).

Bugs

http://bugs.python.org/issue8492
http://bugs.python.org/issue5845

are related; I don't know whether it's worth filing an additional bug
as I suspect it will get fixed in passing if 8492 is fixed.