Upcoming Release 2.8

This document outlines the changes and ongoing development for the upcoming Nuitka 2.8, serving as a draft changelog. It also includes details on hot-fixes applied to the current stable release, 2.7.13.

Nuitka Release 2.8 (Draft)

Note

These are the draft release notes for Nuitka 2.8. A primary goal for this version is to deliver significant enhancements in scalability.

Development is ongoing, and this documentation might lag slightly behind the latest code changes.

Bug Fixes

  • Standalone: For the “Python Build Standalone” flavor ensured that debug builds correctly recognize all their specific built-in modules, preventing potential errors. (Fixed in 2.7.2 already.)

  • Linux: Fixed a crash when attempting to modify the RPATH of statically linked executables (e.g., from imageio-ffmpeg). (Fixed in 2.7.2 already.)

  • Anaconda: Updated PySide2 support to correctly handle path changes in newer Conda packages and improved path normalization for robustness. (Fixed in 2.7.2 already.)

  • macOS: Corrected handling of QtWebKit framework resources. Previous special handling was removed as symlinking is now default, which also resolved an issue of file duplication. (Fixed in 2.7.2 already.)

  • Debugging: Resolved an issue in debug builds where an incorrect assertion was done during the addition of distribution metadata. (Fixed in 2.7.1 already.)

  • Module: Corrected an issue preventing stubgen from functioning with Python versions earlier than 3.6. (Fixed in 2.7.1 already.)

  • UI: Prevented Nuitka from crashing when --include-module was used with a built-in module. (Fixed in 2.7.1 already.)

  • Module: Addressed a compatibility issue where the code mode for the constants blob failed with the C++ fallback. This fallback is utilized on very old GCC versions (e.g., default on CentOS7), which are generally not recommended. (Fixed in 2.7.1 already.)

  • Standalone: Resolved an assertion error that could occur in certain Python setups due to extension module suffix ordering. The issue involved incorrect calculation of the derived module name when the wrong suffix was applied (e.g., using .so to derive a module name like gdbmmodule instead of just gdbm). This was observed with Python 2 on CentOS7 but could potentially affect other versions with unconventional extension module configurations. (Fixed in 2.7.1 already.)

  • Python 3.12.0: Corrected the usage of an internal structure identifier that is only available in Python 3.12.1 and later versions. (Fixed in 2.7.1 already.)

  • Plugins: Prevented crashes in Python setups where importing pkg_resources results in a PermissionError. This typically occurs in broken installations, for instance, where some packages are installed with root privileges. (Fixed in 2.7.1 already.)

  • macOS: Implemented a workaround for data file names that previously could not be signed within app bundles. The attempt in release 2.7 to sign these files inadvertently caused a regression for cases involving illegal filenames. (Fixed in 2.7.1 already.)

  • Python 2.6: Addressed an issue where staticmethod objects lacked the __func__ attribute. Nuitka now tracks the original function as a distinct value. (Fixed in 2.7.1 already.)

  • Corrected behavior for orderedset implementations that lack a union method, ensuring Nuitka does not attempt to use it. (Fixed in 2.7.1 already.)

  • Python 2.6: Ensured compatibility for setups where the _PyObject_GC_IS_TRACKED macro is unavailable. This macro is now used beyond assertions, necessitating support outside of debug mode. (Fixed in 2.7.1 already.)

  • Python 2.6: Resolved an issue caused by the absence of sys.version_info.releaselevel by utilizing a numeric index instead and adding a new helper function to access it. (Fixed in 2.7.1 already.)

  • Module: Corrected the __compiled__.main value to accurately reflects the package in which a module is loaded, this was not the case for Python versions prior to 3.12. (Fixed in 2.7.1 already.)

  • Plugins: Further improved the dill-compat plugin by preventing assertions related to empty annotations and by removing hard-coded module names for greater flexibility. (Fixed in 2.7.1 already.)

  • Windows: For onefile mode using DLL mode, ensure all necessary environment variables are correctly set for QtWebEngine. Previously, default Qt paths could point incorrectly near the onefile binary. (Fixed in 2.7.3 already.)

  • PySide6: Fixed an issue with PySide6 where slots defined in base classes might not be correctly handled, leading to them only working for the first class that used them. (Fixed in 2.7.3 already.)

  • Plugins: Enhanced Qt binding plugin support by checking for module presence without strictly requiring metadata. This improves compatibility with environments like Homebrew or uv where package metadata might be absent. (Fixed in 2.7.3 already.)

  • macOS: Ensured the apple target is specified during linking to prevent potential linker warnings about using an unknown target in certain configurations. (Fixed in 2.7.3 already.)

  • macOS: Disabled the use of static libpython with pyenv installations, as this configuration is currently broken. (Fixed in 2.7.3 already.)

  • macOS: Improved error handling for the --macos-app-protected-resource option by catching cases where a description is not provided. (Fixed in 2.7.3 already.)

  • Plugins: Enhanced workarounds for PySide6, now also covering single-shot timer callbacks. (Fixed in 2.7.4 already.)

  • Plugins: Ensured that the Qt binding module is included when using accelerated mode with Qt bindings. (Fixed in 2.7.4 already.)

  • macOS: Avoided signing through symlinks and minimized their use to prevent potential issues, especially during code signing of application bundles. (Fixed in 2.7.4 already.)

  • Windows: Implemented path shortening for paths used in onefile DLL mode to prevent issues with long or Unicode paths. This also benefits module mode. (Fixed in 2.7.4 already.)

  • UI: The options nanny plugin no longer uses a deprecated option for macOS app bundles, preventing potential warnings or issues. (Fixed in 2.7.4 already.)

  • Plugins: Ensured the correct macOS target architecture is used. This particularly useful for PySide2 with universal CPython binaries, to prevent compile time crashes e.g. when cross-compiling for a different architecture. (Fixed in 2.7.4 already.)

  • UI: Fixed a crash that occurred on macOS if the ccache download was rejected by the user. (Fixed in 2.7.4 already.)

  • UI: Improved the warning message related to macOS application icons for better clarity. (Added in 2.7.4 already.)

  • Standalone: Corrected an issue with QML plugins on macOS when using newer PySide6 versions. (Fixed in 2.7.4 already.)

  • Python 3.10+: Fixed a memory leak where the matched value in pattern matching constructs was not being released. (Fixed in 2.7.4 already.)

  • Python3: Fixed an issue where exception exits for larger range objects, which are not optimized away, were not correctly annotated by the compiler. (Fixed in 2.7.4 already.)

  • Windows: Corrected an issue with the automatic use of icons for PySide6 applications on non-Windows, if Windows icon options were used. (Fixed in 2.7.4 already.)

  • Onefile: When using DLL mode there was a load error for the DLL with MSVC 14.2 or earlier, but older MSVC is to be supported. (Fixed in 2.7.5 already.)

  • Onefile: Fix, the splash screen was showing in DLL mode twice or more, these extra copies couldn’t be stopped. (Fixed in 2.7.5 already.)

  • Standalone: Fixed an issue where data files were no longer checked for conflicts with included DLLs. The order of data file and DLL copying was restored, and macOS app signing was made a separate step to remove the order dependency. (Fixed in 2.7.6 already.)

  • macOS: Corrected our workaround using symlinks for files that cannot be signed. When --output-directory was used, as it made incorrect assumptions about the dist folder path. (Fixed in 2.7.6 already.)

  • UI: Prevented checks on onefile target specifications when not actually compiling in onefile mode, e.g. on macOS with --mode=app. (Fixed in 2.7.6 already.)

  • UI: Improved error messages for data directory options by include the relevant part in the output. (Fixed in 2.7.6 already.)

  • Plugins: Suppressed UserWarning messages from the pkg_resources module during compilation. (Fixed in 2.7.6 already.)

  • Python3.11+: Fixed an issue where descriptors for compiled methods were incorrectly exposed for Python 3.11 and 3.12. (Fixed in 2.7.7 already.)

  • Onefile: The containing_dir attribute of the __compiled__ object was regressed in DLL mode on Windows, pointing to the temporary DLL directory instead of the directory containing the onefile binary. (Fixed in 2.7.9 already.)

  • Plugins: Avoided loading modules when checking for data file existence. This prevents unnecessary module loading and potential crashes in broken installations. (Fixed in 2.7.9 already.)

  • Plugins: The global_change_function anti-bloat feature now operates on what should be the qualified names (__qualname__) instead of just function names, preventing incorrect replacements of methods with the same name in different classes. (Fixed in 2.7.9 already.)

Package Support

  • Standalone: Introduced support for the nicegui package. (Added in 2.7.1 already.)

  • Standalone: Extended support to include xgboost.core on macOS. (Added in 2.7.1 already.)

  • Standalone: Added needed data files for ursina package. (Added in 2.7.1 already.)

  • Standalone: Added support for newer versions of the pydantic package. (Added in 2.7.4 already.)

  • Standalone: Extended libonnxruntime support to macOS, enabling its use in compiled applications on this platform. (Added in 2.7.4 already.)

  • Standalone: Added necessary data files for the pygameextra package. (Added in 2.7.4 already.)

  • Standalone: Included GL backends for the arcade package. (Added in 2.7.4 already.)

  • Standalone: Added more data directories for the ursina and panda3d packages, improving their out-of-the-box compatibility. (Added in 2.7.4 already.)

  • Standalone: Added support for newer skimage package. (Added in 2.7.5 already.)

  • Standalone: Added support for the PyTaskbar package. (Added in 2.7.6 already.)

  • macOS: Added tk-inter support for Python 3.13 with official CPython builds, which now use framework files for Tcl/Tk. (Added in 2.7.6 already.)

  • Standalone: Added support for the paddlex package. (Added in 2.7.6 already.)

  • Standalone: Added support for the jinxed package, which dynamically loads terminal information. (Added in 2.7.6 already.)

  • Windows: Added support for the ansicon package by including a missing DLL. (Added in 2.7.6 already.)

  • macOS: Enhanced configuration for the pypylon package, however it’s not sufficient. (Added in 2.7.6 already.)

  • Standalone: Added support for newer numpy versions. (Added in 2.7.7 already.)

  • Standalone: Added support for older vtk package. (Added in 2.7.8 already.)

  • Standalone: Added support for newer certifi versions that use importlib.resources. (Added in 2.7.9 already.)

  • Standalone: Added support for the reportlab.graphics.barcode module. (Added in 2.7.9 already.)

New Features

  • Plugins: Introduced global_change_function to the anti-bloat engine, allowing function replacements across all sub-modules of a package at once. (Added in 2.7.6 already.)

  • Reports: For Python 3.13, the compilation report now includes information on GIL usage. (Added in 2.7.7 already.)

  • macOS: Added an option to prevent an application from running in multiple instances. (Added in 2.7.7 already.)

Optimization

  • Enhanced detection of raise statements that use compile-time constant values which are not actual exception instances.

    This improvement prevents Nuitka from crashing during code generation when encountering syntactically valid but semantically incorrect code, such as raise NotImplemented. While such code is erroneous, it should not cause a compiler crash. (Added in 2.7.1 already.)

  • macOS: Enhanced PySide2 support, removing the general requirement for onefile mode. Onefile mode is now only enforced for QtWebEngine due to its specific stability issues if not bundled this way. (Added in 2.7.4 already.)

Anti-Bloat

  • Improved handling of the astropy package by implementing global replacements instead of per-module ones. Similar global handling has also been applied to IPython to reduce overhead. (Added in 2.7.1 already.)

  • Avoid docutils usage in markdown2 package. (Added in 2.7.1 already.)

  • Reduced compiled size by avoiding the use of “docutils” within the markdown2 package. (Added in 2.7.1 already.)

  • Avoided including the testing framework from the langsmith package. (Added in 2.7.6 already.)

  • Avoided including setuptools from jax.version. (Added in 2.7.6 already.)

  • Avoided including unittest from the reportlab package. (Added in 2.7.6 already.)

  • Avoid compiling generated google.protobuf.*_pb2 files. (Added in 2.7.7 already.)

Organizational

  • Python3.13.4: Reject broken CPython official release for Windows.

    The link library included is not the one needed for GIL, and as such it breaks Nuitka heavily and must be errored out on, all smaller or larger micro versions work, but this one does not.

  • Release: Do not use Nuitka 2.7.9 as it broke data file access via __file__ in onefile mode on Windows. This is a brown paper bag release with 2.7.10 containing only the fix for that. Sorry for the inconvenience.

  • Release: Ensured proper handling of newer setuptools versions during Nuitka installation. (Fixed in 2.7.4 already.)

  • Release: Added an extra dependency group for the Nuitka build-backend, intended for use in pyproject.toml and other build-system dependencies. To use it depend in Nuitka[build-wheel] instead of Nuitka. (Added in 2.7.7 already.)

  • UI: Sort --list-distribution-metadata output and remove duplicates. (Changed in 2.7.8 already.)

Tests

  • Removed Azure CI configuration, as testing has been fully migrated to GitHub Actions. (Changed in 2.7.9 already.)

  • Improved test robustness against short paths for package-containing directories. (Added in 2.7.4 already.)

  • Prevented test failures caused by rejected download prompts during test execution, making CI more stable. (Added in 2.7.4 already.)

  • Refactored common testing code to avoid using doctests, preventing warnings in specific standalone mode test scenarios related to reference counting. (Added in 2.7.4 already.)

Cleanups

  • Plugins: Improved pkg_resources integration by using the __loader__ attribute of the registering module for loader type registration, avoiding modification of the global builtins dictionary. (Fixed in 2.7.2 already.)

  • Improved the logging mechanism for module search scans. It is now possible to enable tracing for individual locateModule calls, significantly enhancing readability and aiding debugging efforts.

Summary

This release is currently under active development and is not yet feature-complete.