[Plplot-devel] Win one, lose one

[Alan W. I. <ir...@be...>]

First the win:  Thanks Andrew for your fix on x19c.  It works like a charm
now!

Now the loss: xw09.py is segfaulting again.  The story behind this is there
have been some huge python and libqt changes on my research computer where I
test plplot.  Debian woody python has just migrated from python-1.5 to
python-2.1, and for the first time I am using the stock QT (2.3.1) and KDE
(2.2.1) on woody rather than versions which I compiled myself.  These two
changes meant I could also build and install (with some extra effort to
accomodate the new woody python) the woody versions of libsip, sip, and
python-pyqt packages rather than compiling my own tarballs.  Thus, I now
believe I have a fully integrated python-2.1/python-pyqt-2.5 environment,
and I intend to stick with it from now on for my tests. (Which reminds
me.... Allesandro, you still haven't answered me on the qplplot.py hack to
comment out self.__attr(*args) that I had to do for the python-1.5
environment.  Shall I put that back?  It seems to make no difference so I am
wondering if qplplot.py can be simplified by removing unused functions).

pythondemos.py with xw09 commented out shows that all xw??.py demos work
fine with that one exception which is segfaulting again just like it did for
the experimental 2.0 python environment.  I am particular sensitive to bugs
that screw up demo programmes so I will get to the bottom of this before the
plplot release I hope to do in December.  I also plan to make some further
changes to the xw??.py demos to bring them more in line with the x??c.c
demos, and I still want to complete the java demos (aside from the required
API additions).

The pyqt GUI (aside from xw09) works well for the new python/python-pyqt
test environment.  I encourage Rafael to give this a try since he also has
access to woody.  (Contact me off list for the tricks I played to get Debian
woody sip, etc. to play nice with the new python.  I have a wishlist bug
report in for sip so the tricks may not be required for too long.)

Alan

email: ir...@be...
phone: 250-727-2902	FAX: 250-721-7715
snail-mail:
Dr. Alan W. Irwin
Department of Physics and Astronomy,
University of Victoria, P.O. Box 3055,
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, V8W 3P6
__________________________

Linux-powered astrophysics
__________________________