Python 3.9 run Windows Server 2008 problem

According to https://www.python.org/downloads/windows/:
Python 3.9 cannot be used on Windows 7 or earlier.
But we had a server with Windows Server 2008 R2 installed 🤷 and while running a project with Python 3.9 on Windows Server 2008 R2, we encountered the following issue: 
python.exe run.py exited with -1073740777. It is Unknown Software Exception: 0xc0000417.
Failed process printed the next output:

D:\Jenkins\workspace\TEST>"D:\Jenkins\workspace\TEST\project\python.exe" run.py
Python path configuration:
  PYTHONHOME = (not set)
  PYTHONPATH = (not set)
  program name = 'D:\Jenkins\workspace\TEST\project\python.exe'
  isolated = 0
  environment = 1
  user site = 1
  import site = 1
  sys._base_executable = '\xc5V\u3241Z'
  sys.base_prefix = '.'
  sys.base_exec_prefix = '.'
  sys.platlibdir = 'lib'
  sys.executable = '\xc5V\u3241Z'
  sys.prefix = '.'
  sys.exec_prefix = '.'
  sys.path = [
    'D:\\Jenkins\\workspace\\TEST\\project\\python39.zip',
    '.\\DLLs',
    '.\\lib',
    '',
  ]

The variables sys._base_executable and sys.executable are corrupted and filled with arbitrary data.

We had sitecustomize.py file, with sys.executable variable update to required python.exe, but the problems still reproduced.

The only solution helped:

It is required to set the next environment variables (in our case we set them in Jenkins):

set PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;%WORKSPACE%\project

set PYTHONHOME=%PYTHONHOME%;%WORKSPACE%\project

set __PYVENV_LAUNCHER__=%WORKSPACE%\project\python.exe

Blog's 10th birthday

Happy 10-th birthday my dear blog!!!
Time flies. I remember the first entry as if it were so recently: https://delimitry.blogspot.com/2010/03/first-entry.html
It were really interesting 10 years.
Thanks to all the subscribers and readers!

Underground

Finished the book Underground by Suelette Dreyfus.
Really exciting and interesting stories.
Some situations are sound very funny today - with fast internet and huge disks.
Recommend it for anyone interested in hacking/freaking stories.
PS. Also check out a documentary film inspired by this book.

JIT compilation for CPython

My presentation from SPbPython meetup about simple self-made Just-in-time (JIT) compiler for CPython.


Link to slideshare: https://www.slideshare.net/delimitry/jit-compilation-for-cpython

Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid

Yesterday I finished reading this great book by Douglas Richard Hofstadter.
Great explanation of Gödel's incompleteness theorems with references to Bach's fugues and Escher's artworks, zen buddhism, molecular biology, NDA, RNA, programming and AI, reductionism and holism.
Great food for thought! I like self-references and recursions! This book is worth re-reading to find something new.
A lot of good references and further reading.

Recommend to everyone interested in mathematics, art, music and AI.

SNMP server in pure Python

Meet my new project: simple SNMP server in pure Python.
It can be used as a simple SNMP echo server or configured to respond to the requests with more complex logic.
https://github.com/delimitry/snmp-server
This SNMP server is really useful if it is required to test SNMP client and mock values for OIDs.

Data Storage Systems

My presentation from from PiterPy Meetup #10 Hardcore about the data structures used in databases for storing and retrieving data.
Two approaches to data processing are considered: OLTP and OLAP.
SQL, NoSQL and New SQL databases are discussed.
The tradeoffs that the developers face when creating storage systems are shown.
Also the methods of data storage and interaction with the database provides CPython are considered.
The presentation and the list of references and books helps more easily navigate the data storage engines and understand which tool is better suited for a particular task.