For the record, this happens on FreeBSD 8 as well.

It seems it is still the same bug as what I reported back in March 2009 on the Python-dev list.

If you run the test stand-alone with ./python Lib/test/regrtest.py -uall test_curses it passes and prints "1 test OK".

If you add something like test__all__ before it it will crash with a SIGSEGV: segmentation fault (core dumped).

Mark's condensed test case switches to a SIGBUS, which is a bit different.

Mark, did your initial backtrace look like this:

#0  0x282e115e in memcpy () from /lib/libc.so.7
#1  0x282de375 in fwrite () from /lib/libc.so.7
#2  0x282de132 in fwrite () from /lib/libc.so.7
#3  0x28b7a1ca in putwin (win=0x28409640, filep=0x282f39f8)
    at /newusr/src/lib/ncurses/ncursesw/../../../contrib/ncurses/ncurses/base/lib_screen.c:132
#4  0x28d9b361 in PyCursesWindow_PutWin (self=0x28442ef0, args=0x2867f80c)
    at /home/asmodai/projects/python/Modules/_cursesmodule.c:1351
#5  0x080da60d in PyEval_EvalFrameEx (f=0x296d760c, throwflag=0)
    at Python/ceval.c:4013
#6  0x080db10e in PyEval_EvalFrameEx (f=0x296a948c, throwflag=0)
    at Python/ceval.c:4099
#7  0x080db10e in PyEval_EvalFrameEx (f=0x29692d8c, throwflag=0)
    at Python/ceval.c:4099
#8  0x080dc68b in PyEval_EvalCodeEx (co=0x297675c0, globals=0x2866bbdc,
    locals=0x2866bbdc, args=0x0, argcount=0, kws=0x0, kwcount=0, defs=0x0,
    defcount=0, closure=0x0) at Python/ceval.c:3253
#9  0x080dc7d7 in PyEval_EvalCode (co=0x297675c0, globals=0x2866bbdc,
    locals=0x2866bbdc) at Python/ceval.c:666
#10 0x080ef70c in PyImport_ExecCodeModuleEx (
    name=0xbfbfd683 "test.test_curses", co=0x297675c0,
    pathname=0xbfbfd223 "/home/asmodai/projects/python/Lib/test/test_curses.py")