I have an embedded use of the Python interpreter. I
want to compile and link the encapsulating application with
and without DEBUG. I have disabled the use of the
pragma in config.h to always use the library specified
in the link statement, which is always the standard
python library. I have ensured that all invocations of
Python.h undefine the DEBUG symbol before including them.

Compiling the application without debug: works fine if
you link non-debug. However, linking with debug causes
some change in the way python modules are looked up and
I'm getting undefined local modules. I have checked the
PYTHONPATH environment variable and it is correct, and
the .py module exists in the correct directory. (This
is a common scenario where some libraries are compiled
without DEBUG, some with DEBUG, and then the whole
application linked DEBUG.)

Compiling the application with debug: Link errors
result. Undefined -- _Py_RefTotal, _Py_Dealloc,
_PyInitModule4TraceRefs.

Python is making too many hidden assumptions about the
build environment when it is being used embedded. This
is a critical problem as it makes it impossible to
build the encapsulating application for debug purposes.