Race Issue
So, I'm writing a program in Python that tries to control other programs. This is called process control. I have process A that kicks off process B. Now, A sends an instruction to B. B runs off and tries to get the information like a good little process. All they really want to do is pleas we programmers. But, A has already tried to read the answer that B is looking for. So, when B comes back with the answer, God bless that little process for trying, A is just sitting there and won't take the answer. B will not go do anything else until A tels it to. A is still trying to get the answer that it missed. This is called a deadlock. it is some times called a race condition because A beat B when it should have been the other way around. Adam, correct me if I'm using the wrong terms.
It turns out this has nothing to do with Python really. It is an inherent problem with the logic of computers.
I'm bumping in to one of the fallacies that has plagued programmers since the beginning of, well, programming. Aristotle and Plato didn't have to worry about race conditions I bet. This information doesn't make it any less of a pain in my ass.

. . . (Later in the day I wrote the following on the same subject. I don't know if I intended it to be in the same post or a separate one, so here it is as I typed it.)

Python Forking
I called my sweetie and asked her what's up. She replied that she was at Cole's clothing store with a friend of her's. it is the tax free weekend you know. I need socks come to think of it. Anyway. She asked me what I was doing and I responded "I'm forking and my head hurts."She was a bit lost on the whole concept of forking in programming. And why shouldn't she be lost. Sometimes I wish I didn't know how these things work. It makes me nervis when I know how things work. I'm amazed anything using computers manages to work.
I am trying to get one program to properly control another via Python. I'm sure you have heard me gripe about this recently. They tried to make it easier by adding a new module called subprocess. This module has all kinds of functionality that lets you create a subprocess and then control it via a method called communicate. The trouble is, communicate kills the subprocess in the process of reading from standard out. What the hell good is that? It is fine if I'm firing off a "uname -a" or something, but I want to interact with the program and make it do stuff based on decisions I make in the parent process. I need something more than a one time gather information.
I started digging in subprocess.py and found that they do a fork. I started digging online and found a person who made it look simple. The example is not exactly what I need, but it is a start. In order to get control of standard in and out, you have to use a function called pud2, and there is fuckall documentation for it. There are some examples floating around. I basically get the idea of what to do, but how about some directions for God's sake. I'm apparently in a gray area for Python.
When you look at the documentation for Subprocess, the first thing they say is that this new module is supposed to replace like five old ways of doing the same thing. Generally, this means they still don't have it quite 100%. I don't have time to wait for Python to get their shit together. I'm just going to have to write my own process handler that does what I need. I hope I'm up to the task.