Python syntax error on windows ubuntu subsystem

Question

Okay so this is a strange error to describe so bear with me.

I'm currently working on an assignment that requires me to use the Python os module to test Linux processes.

Since my laptop is running windows 10 and all my Linux VMs have miraculously stopped booting I tried using a SSH to a linux machine and the Ubuntu subsystem on my own machine to run this block of code:

    import os
    pid = os.fork()
    if pid == 0: # the child
        print("this is the child")

Here is a screenshot of the resulting error on the linux subsystem: (The same shows up for SSH)

error screenshot

Now the interesting thing is after I type the second line the 'if' statement is automatically indented with the double '>>> >>>' and I have to press each key sever times before it is displayed in the console.

Any advice would be helpful on what could cause this.

filbranden · Accepted Answer · 2020-03-19 15:44:29Z

1

This won't work from the interactive Python interpreter.

As you noticed, when you execute os.fork(), you're forking the interactive interpreter itself, that's why you get two >>> prompts and the input looks garbled probably related to both interpreters trying to get the input at the same time.

This should work from a script file executed without using the interactive environment.

answered Mar 19, 2020 at 15:44

filbranden

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1 Comment

Pavel B Over a year ago

Thanks a million, it all makes sense now! Saving it to a file and running that file from the command line worked like a charm!

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