Several months ago, I created a blog entry where I documented an integration of PyFlakes with Emacs flymake-mode that is insanely useful when writing Python code.

This setup has been working fantastically, except for one thing. When you type a single set of triple-quotes ( """ ), and stop typing, the Emacs process will begin to "spin", the CPU usage hits 100%. If you type the ending set of triple-quotes, although they don't immediately appear on the screen, Emacs will return editing control to you perhaps several minutes later with your keystrokes evident; the process continues to spin during the waiting period. If you never type the ending triple-quotes, the process will spin "forever".

I have worked around this so far: every time I need some triple-quoted string, I type two sets of triple quotes very quickly ( """ """ ), which presumably prevents the flymake-mode syntax checker from kicking in. Then I just back up and insert the text I want. However, sometimes I forget to type the ending triple-quotes, and it sucks to wait for the process to stop tripping over itself and it sucks worse to have to kill it and start it again. It kills momentum during coding something awful.

I am not interested in debugging this problem personally (I have no experience writing Emacs Lisp). But I'd really, really like to get it fixed. Therefore, I hereby offer a $500.00 bounty to anyone who has the know-how to reproduce and remediate this problem (I use Carbon Emacs on Mac OS X although I believe the problem is not OS-platform-specific, it will probably be evident in any version of GNU Emacs). I will pay the first person that comes up with a solution via PayPal or check or however it works for you really after you've demonstrated that the problem is solved and provided instructions on how others can fix it themselves (by applying a patch, or whatever needs be done). Send me a mail (chrism@plope.com) if you've decided to work on it.

If you take a look at the problem, and you think it's going to take longer than $500.00 is worth, let me know, and I'll see if I can't find some other folks to cough up some more dough.