Platform: Solaris 5.8 sparc
Compiler: gcc version 4.2.4

make test reported back the following on the initial test:
test test_threading failed -- Traceback (most recent call last):
  File
"/tools/webapps/local/src/Python-2.6.2/Lib/test/test_threading.py", line
419, in test_3_join_in_forked_from_thread
    self._run_and_join(script)
  File
"/tools/webapps/local/src/Python-2.6.2/Lib/test/test_threading.py", line
355, in _run_and_join
    self.assertEqual(data, "end of main\nend of thread\n")
AssertionError: '' != 'end of main\nend of thread\n'

**********

Same type of issue further on in the testing:

test_1_join_on_shutdown (test.test_threading.ThreadJoinOnShutdown) ... ok
test_2_join_in_forked_process (test.test_threading.ThreadJoinOnShutdown)
... ok
test_3_join_in_forked_from_thread
(test.test_threading.ThreadJoinOnShutdown) ... 
<hangs here>

$ ps -ef | grep -i 'python'
 xuserx 24669 17424  0 11:36:01 pts/18   5:44 ./python -E -tt
./Lib/test/regrtest.py -l
 xuserx 27539 27528  0 12:00:29 pts/18   0:00
/tools/webapps/local/src/Python-2.6.2/python -c if 1:            import
sys, o
 xuserx 27528 24669  0 12:00:28 pts/18   0:00
/tools/webapps/local/src/Python-2.6.2/python -c if 1:            import
sys, o
 xuserx 27660 29318  0 12:07:16 pts/18   0:00 grep -i python
$ kill 27539
<test continues then reports:>
test_3_join_in_forked_from_thread
(test.test_threading.ThreadJoinOnShutdown) ... FAIL

======================================================================
FAIL: test_3_join_in_forked_from_thread
(test.test_threading.ThreadJoinOnShutdown)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File
"/tools/webapps/local/src/Python-2.6.2/Lib/test/test_threading.py", line
419, in test_3_join_in_forked_from_thread
    self._run_and_join(script)
  File
"/tools/webapps/local/src/Python-2.6.2/Lib/test/test_threading.py", line
355, in _run_and_join
    self.assertEqual(data, "end of main\nend of thread\n")
AssertionError: '' != 'end of main\nend of thread\n'

I'll keep digging and see if I can find a solution, but know that while
I have extensive programming experience in other languages, I have none
in python (yet).