[OE-core] Problem with buildtools-tarball / nativesdk-ncurses / nativesdk-python

[Mark Hatle]

My host system's python version is too old due to the recent changes.  So I 
built a temporary python 2.7.3 version.  Built the 'buildtools-tarball' and then 
installed it.  When I switch to the included python it no longer works.

I did some digging, the problem in the end is related to ncurses within the 
nativesdk.

Running the following:
  py_v26_check=`python -c 'import sys; print sys.version_info >= (2,6,3)'`
which python
echo "$py_v26_check" | od -c
  if [ "$py_v26_check" != "True" ]; then
          echo "BitBake requires Python 2.7.3 or later"
          exit 1
  fi

You can see the difference in behavior:

TERM=xterm

/home/lmhatle/build-qemux86_64-2/buildtools/sysroots/x86_64-wrlinuxsdk-linux/usr/bin/python
0000000 033   [   ?   1   0   3   4   h   T   r   u   e  \n
0000015
BitBake requires Python 2.7.3 or later

-----

TERM=vt100

/home/lmhatle/build-qemux86_64-2/buildtools/sysroots/x86_64-wrlinuxsdk-linux/usr/bin/python
0000000   T   r   u   e  \n
0000005

-----

So as you can see specifying a different terminal type is happily changing the 
output of python.  When I use my locally built version, I don't get the same 
behavior.  I always get the second version.

So is there a problem with the nativesdk python, nativesdk ncurses or???

(I've not yet filed a bug on this, but I will if I can't figure it out soon.)

--Mark