bug#22876: Python can't use https with recent grafts

[Christopher Allan Webber]

Christopher Allan Webber writes:

> Most of Guix seems to be working just fine with the grafts support and
> grafting of openssl.  However, unlike most grafts that will be done
> probably, this one removes a feature, and that seems to be creating
> problems in Python land.
>
>   >>> from urllib.request import HTTPSHandler
>   Traceback (most recent call last):
>     File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
>   ImportError: cannot import name 'HTTPSHandler'

As expected, this is for the same reasons offlineimap seemed to have
problems:

  address@hidden:~/devel/mediagoblin$ python3
  Python 3.4.3 (default, Jan  1 1970, 00:00:01) 
  [GCC 4.9.3] on linux
  Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
  >>> import ssl
  Traceback (most recent call last):
    File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
    File 
"/gnu/store/1spkp48cbbzg6ic5qkv3qpm3mvsgwkys-python-3.4.3/lib/python3.4/ssl.py",
 line 97, in <module>
      import _ssl             # if we can't import it, let the error propagate
  ImportError: 
/gnu/store/1spkp48cbbzg6ic5qkv3qpm3mvsgwkys-python-3.4.3/lib/python3.4/lib-dynload/_ssl.cpython-34m.so:
 undefined symbol: SSLv2_method

This leads to my suspicion that it's not really grafting's fault here,
it's the *removal* of a piece of code, thus making things
abi-incompatible with the system we built.  Hopefully most grafting
situations won't require this.  I think that's right? :)

Unfortunately, I'd say that ssl and python isn't really optional!
Is it possible to graft on top of a graft?  Could we rebuild Python
based on the grafted openssl, and then graft things on top of the
grafted Python? :)