Compiling python-2.5 and trunk (r53624) on my Fedora Core 6 i386 works but does not use GNU readline because of the following excerpt from config.log:

configure:21255: gcc -pthread -o conftest -O2 -march=i386 -mtune=pentium-m -fomit-frame-pointer   conftest.c -lreadline  -lpthread -l
dl  -lutil >&5
/usr/lib/gcc/i386-redhat-linux/4.1.1/../../../libreadline.so: undefined reference to `PC'
/usr/lib/gcc/i386-redhat-linux/4.1.1/../../../libreadline.so: undefined reference to `tgetflag'
/usr/lib/gcc/i386-redhat-linux/4.1.1/../../../libreadline.so: undefined reference to `tgetent'
/usr/lib/gcc/i386-redhat-linux/4.1.1/../../../libreadline.so: undefined reference to `UP'
/usr/lib/gcc/i386-redhat-linux/4.1.1/../../../libreadline.so: undefined reference to `tputs'
/usr/lib/gcc/i386-redhat-linux/4.1.1/../../../libreadline.so: undefined reference to `tgoto'
/usr/lib/gcc/i386-redhat-linux/4.1.1/../../../libreadline.so: undefined reference to `tgetnum'
/usr/lib/gcc/i386-redhat-linux/4.1.1/../../../libreadline.so: undefined reference to `BC'
/usr/lib/gcc/i386-redhat-linux/4.1.1/../../../libreadline.so: undefined reference to `tgetstr'
collect2: ld returned 1 exit status

This seems related to http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-checkins/2006-January/048725.html

python-2.4.4 works fine, but it does not contain the aforementionned commit.

Thanks.

And if you wonder why I complain about not using GNU readline, here is a simple test case:

------------------------------------------

import readline
import signal
from threading import Thread

Thread(target=lambda: raw_input('Press Control-C now')).start()
signal.pause()

------------------------------------------

With GNU readline, Ctrl-C would wake up the pause() and I would resort to dirty tricks to wake up the raw_input (dup2), but that's another story ;-)

With Python >= 2.5, Ctrl-C would segfault or in a debug build abort with:
Fatal Python error: Invalid thread state for this thread

and here is the corresponding stack trace:

Program terminated with signal 6, Aborted.
#0  0xb7f13410 in ?? ()
(gdb) bt
#0  0xb7f13410 in ?? ()
#1  0xb7c2daec in ?? ()
#2  0x00000006 in ?? ()
#3  0x000003b3 in ?? ()
#4  0x48f68d40 in raise () from /lib/libc.so.6
#5  0x48f6a591 in abort () from /lib/libc.so.6
#6  0x08111000 in Py_FatalError (msg=0x81720d4 "Invalid thread state for this thread") at Python/pythonrun.c:1562
#7  0x0810d142 in PyThreadState_Swap (newts=0x8219438) at Python/pystate.c:318
#8  0x080dbbb4 in PyEval_RestoreThread (tstate=0x8219438) at Python/ceval.c:316
#9  0x08139180 in PyOS_Readline (sys_stdin=0x49079420, sys_stdout=0x490794c0, prompt=0xb7e9eb3c "Press Control-C now")
    at Parser/myreadline.c:210
#10 0x080d8dbc in builtin_raw_input (self=0x0, args=0xb7eafc74) at Python/bltinmodule.c:1747
#11 0x0814643e in PyCFunction_Call (func=0xb7ec6574, arg=0xb7eafc74, kw=0x0) at Objects/methodobject.c:73
#12 0x080e89ab in call_function (pp_stack=0xb7c2e234, oparg=1) at Python/ceval.c:3567
#13 0x080e4234 in PyEval_EvalFrameEx (f=0x821c0dc, throwflag=0) at Python/ceval.c:2279
#14 0x080e66cf in PyEval_EvalCodeEx (co=0xb7ef16e8, globals=0xb7edf174, locals=0x0, args=0xb7eb7048, argcount=0, kws=0xb7c46028, 
    kwcount=0, defs=0x0, defcount=0, closure=0x0) at Python/ceval.c:2843
#15 0x08145b7d in function_call (func=0xb7ea8354, arg=0xb7eb7034, kw=0xb7eb03f4) at Objects/funcobject.c:517
#16 0x0805ff90 in PyObject_Call (func=0xb7ea8354, arg=0xb7eb7034, kw=0xb7eb03f4) at Objects/abstract.c:1858
#17 0x080e97e9 in ext_do_call (func=0xb7ea8354, pp_stack=0xb7c2e900, flags=3, na=0, nk=0) at Python/ceval.c:3847
#18 0x080e446e in PyEval_EvalFrameEx (f=0x821b9e4, throwflag=0) at Python/ceval.c:2319
#19 0x080e8de6 in fast_function (func=0xb7c42bc4, pp_stack=0xb7c2ef04, n=1, na=1, nk=0) at Python/ceval.c:3653
#20 0x080e8b41 in call_function (pp_stack=0xb7c2ef04, oparg=0) at Python/ceval.c:3588
#21 0x080e4234 in PyEval_EvalFrameEx (f=0x8215dec, throwflag=0) at Python/ceval.c:2279
#22 0x080e66cf in PyEval_EvalCodeEx (co=0xb7c33748, globals=0xb7ea6ad4, locals=0x0, args=0xb7eaf240, argcount=1, kws=0x0, 
    kwcount=0, defs=0x0, defcount=0, closure=0x0) at Python/ceval.c:2843
#23 0x08145b7d in function_call (func=0xb7c42c14, arg=0xb7eaf22c, kw=0x0) at Objects/funcobject.c:517
#24 0x0805ff90 in PyObject_Call (func=0xb7c42c14, arg=0xb7eaf22c, kw=0x0) at Objects/abstract.c:1858
#25 0x08069416 in instancemethod_call (func=0xb7c42c14, arg=0xb7eaf22c, kw=0x0) at Objects/classobject.c:2497
#26 0x0805ff90 in PyObject_Call (func=0xb7e8b2b4, arg=0xb7eb7034, kw=0x0) at Objects/abstract.c:1858
#27 0x080e81bb in PyEval_CallObjectWithKeywords (func=0xb7e8b2b4, arg=0xb7eb7034, kw=0x0) at Python/ceval.c:3436
#28 0x0811e8f1 in t_bootstrap (boot_raw=0xb7ebf3e8) at ./Modules/threadmodule.c:424
#29 0x490b33db in start_thread () from /lib/libpthread.so.0
#30 0x4900d26e in clone () from /lib/libc.so.6

So maybe there is more than the readline build requirement to fix ;-)

Thanks.

guichaz: can you confirm this for newer versions?

I can't believe that this is still an issue over 3 1/2 years on.