a exception ocurrs when compiling a Python file

[pabloyabo]

BPO	856841
Nosy	@jackjansen, @birkenfeld, @terryjreedy
Files	stack.txt: stack trace

^{Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.}

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GitHub fields:

assignee = None
closed_at = <Date 2006-02-20.15:39:00.000>
created_at = <Date 2003-12-09.12:57:40.000>
labels = ['interpreter-core']
title = 'a exception ocurrs when compiling a Python file'
updated_at = <Date 2006-02-20.15:39:00.000>
user = 'https://bugs.python.org/pabloyabo'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2006-02-20.15:39:00.000>
actor = 'georg.brandl'
assignee = 'none'
closed = True
closed_date = None
closer = None
components = ['Interpreter Core']
creation = <Date 2003-12-09.12:57:40.000>
creator = 'pablo_yabo'
dependencies = []
files = ['1135']
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 856841
keywords = []
message_count = 5.0
messages = ['19346', '19347', '19348', '19349', '19350']
nosy_count = 4.0
nosy_names = ['jackjansen', 'georg.brandl', 'terry.reedy', 'pablo_yabo']
pr_nums = []
priority = 'normal'
resolution = 'out of date'
stage = None
status = 'closed'
superseder = None
type = None
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue856841'
versions = ['Python 2.2']

[pabloyabo]

a exception ocurrs when compiling some big python files
(more than 250kb) using the debug library
(python22_d.dll).
When using the release library in the release version of
my application the files compile succesfully.
Attached is the stack trace.

[terryjreedy]

Logged In: YES
user_id=593130

I do not believe this is a compiler bug. While compiler input
may by theoretically unbounded, all practical compilers have
practical limitations that often depend, in part, on the
amount of memory on your particular system. This is one
reason for import and include mechanisms.

As I understand the stack trace, the exception occured
during an attempt to reallocate memory (ie, move an object
to a larger block). (Including Python's exception trace would
make this clearer). I presume debug mode uses more memory
so you hit the limit sooner with that mode.

Your solutions are to either 1) add more memory to your
computer (should probably work) or try on a system with
more memory or 2) break your source into more modules
(certain to work if the problem is, indeed, simply running out
of memory). 250K is not merely big but huge. The largest
file in the standard lib is under 100K and the median is around
10K.

Unless you have more reason to think this a bug, please
withdraw or close.

[jackjansen]

Logged In: YES
user_id=45365

I agree with the original poster that this is a bug. While it may not
be fixable (and definitely not in the general case) you should get a
decent error message from Python (at the very least a
MemoryError), not a crash of the interpreter.

[terryjreedy]

Logged In: YES
user_id=593130

If, by 'exception', PY indeed means a system crash rather
than a Python exception, then I agree that more graceful
termination would be desireable. However, I believe someone
once pointed out on Py-Dev list that memory failures may
make interpreter operation, even to produce a Python stack
trace, impossible. In any case, the details of system
software and hardware, including memory, needed to even
discuss this, are still missing.

[birkenfeld]

Logged In: YES
user_id=849994

This is likely to be resolved with the new AST compiler in 2.5.

If not, please open another bug report then.