python gives memory fault with my .so library

[Seva Tonkonoh]

When I try to run my extension shared library for Python,
it gives me "Memory fault(coredump)".

I am running FreeBSD 4.7 on VMWare 4 on Dell 4100 workstation.
I tried 2 versions of Python: 2.2.1 and 2.1.3. They both give the same error
message,
which makes me think I didn't create .so file correctly.

Here is how I compiled my .so file:

hello.so: hello.c
	gcc hello.c -g -I/usr/local/include/python2.1 -fpic -shared -o hello.so

I tried hello.c from Lutz's O'Rei;;y book "Programming Python" because I had
the same problem
before with a more complex DLL, so I decided I have to try something simple
first
to narrow the problem.

hello.c code is at the bottom of this email, just in case.
What I tried to do with Python is:

-start python interpreter in the directory where .so file resides.
-do ">>> import hello". That runs fine.
-do ">>> hello.message('bla')". That gives "Memory fault(coredump)".

Please, cc me as I am not on the list.

Thanks in advance,
seva

/*****************************************************
 hello.c
 ****************************************************/

#include <Python.h>
#include <string.h>

/* module functions */
static PyObject *                                 /* returns object */
message(PyObject *self, PyObject *args)           /* self unused in modules
*/
{                                                 /* args from python call
*/
    char *fromPython, result[64];
    if (! PyArg_Parse(args, "(s)", &fromPython))  /* convert Python -> C */
        return NULL;                              /* null=raise exception */
    else {
        strcpy(result, "Hello, ");                /* build up C string */
        strcat(result, fromPython);               /* add passed Python
string */
        return Py_BuildValue("s", result);        /* convert C -> Python */
    }
}

/* registration table  */
static struct PyMethodDef hello_methods[] = {
    {"message", message, 1},       /* method name, C func ptr, always-tuple
*/
    {NULL, NULL}                   /* end of table marker */
};
,
/* module initializer */
void inithello()                       /* called on first import */
{                                      /* name matters if loaded dynamically
*/
    (void) Py_InitModule("hello", hello_methods);   /* mod name, table ptr
*/
}