GNU Info

(python2.1-lib.info)posix

---

Next: pwd Prev: Unix Specific Services Up: Unix Specific Services

---

Enter node , (file) or (file)node

The most common POSIX system calls
==================================

The most common POSIX system calls (normally used via module `os').

This module provides access to operating system functionality that is
standardized by the C Standard and the POSIX standard (a thinly
disguised UNIX interface).

*Do not import this module directly.*  Instead, import the module `os',
which provides a _portable_ version of this interface.  On UNIX, the
`os' module provides a superset of the `posix' interface.  On non-UNIX
operating systems the `posix' module is not available, but a subset is
always available through the `os' interface.  Once `os' is imported,
there is _no_ performance penalty in using it instead of `posix'.  In
addition, `os' provides some additional functionality, such as
automatically calling `putenv()' when an entry in `os.environ' is
changed.

The descriptions below are very terse; refer to the corresponding UNIX
manual (or POSIX documentation) entry for more information.  Arguments
called PATH refer to a pathname given as a string.

Errors are reported as exceptions; the usual exceptions are given for
type errors, while errors reported by the system calls raise `error' (a
synonym for the standard exception `OSError'), described below.

Large File Support

Module Contents