During installation, the following happens:

building '_curses' extension
gcc -DNDEBUG -g -O3 -Wall -Wstrict-prototypes -fPIC -
fno-strict-aliasing -I. -I/tmp/build-gnu20746/Python-
2.4.2/./Include -I/usr/gnu/include -I/usr/local/include -
I/tmp/build-gnu20746/Python-2.4.2/Include -I/tmp/build-
gnu20746/Python-2.4.2 -c /tmp/build-gnu20746/Python-
2.4.2/Modules/_cursesmodule.c -o build/temp.solaris-2.8-
sun4u-2.4/_cursesmodule.o
/tmp/build-gnu20746/Python-
2.4.2/Modules/_cursesmodule.c: In 
function 'PyCursesWindow_GetStr':
/tmp/build-gnu20746/Python-
2.4.2/Modules/_cursesmodule.c:822: warning: implicit 
declaration of function 'mvwgetnstr'
gcc -shared build/temp.solaris-2.8-sun4u-
2.4/_cursesmodule.o -L/usr/gnu/lib -L/usr/local/lib -lcurses -
ltermcap -o build/lib.solaris-2.8-sun4u-2.4/_curses.so
*** WARNING: renaming "_curses" since importing it 
failed: ld.so.1: ./python: fatal: relocation error: file 
build/lib.solaris-2.8-sun4u-2.4/_curses.so: symbol 
mvwgetnstr: referenced symbol not found
building '_curses_panel' extension
gcc -DNDEBUG -g -O3 -Wall -Wstrict-prototypes -fPIC -
fno-strict-aliasing -I. -I/tmp/build-gnu20746/Python-
2.4.2/./Include -I/usr/gnu/include -I/usr/local/include -
I/tmp/build-gnu20746/Python-2.4.2/Include -I/tmp/build-
gnu20746/Python-2.4.2 -c /tmp/build-gnu20746/Python-
2.4.2/Modules/_curses_panel.c -o build/temp.solaris-2.8-
sun4u-2.4/_curses_panel.o
gcc -shared build/temp.solaris-2.8-sun4u-
2.4/_curses_panel.o -L/usr/gnu/lib -L/usr/local/lib -lpanel -
lcurses -ltermcap -o build/lib.solaris-2.8-sun4u-
2.4/_curses_panel.so
*** WARNING: renaming "_curses_panel" since importing 
it failed: No module named _curses

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I would like to add that this problem also exists under
Solaris 2.10.  For some reason, mvwgetnstr is not defined
under Solaris 10.  When I use nm to get the symbols out of
/usr/lib/libcurses.so.1, I do not find it.

When I replace the two references in
/dsk/data0/build/Python-2.4.2/Modules/_cursesmodule.c from
mvwgetnstr to mvwgetnwstr, I was able to compile the module
and pass the appropriate tests.

Since I don't use curses, I really don't have a good way to
test this.

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One use of mvwgetnwstr in the module is replaced by a manual
emulation of the function, if STRICT_SYSV_CURSES is true,
but another use isn't replaced; I suspect this is the problem.

I've attached a patch that ensures that mvwgetnstr() is only
used when STRICT_SYSV_CURSES is undefined.  Please let me
know if this fixes the compilation problem.

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First, your patch does fix the problem.

Next, Solaris 8+ *does* have mvwgetnwstr, the problem is
that it's in the X/Open version of the curses library, not
the (old, stinky, backwards-compatible) default version of
libcurses.

Solaris 10's man pages do a much better job of explaining
the differences, on 10 one can look at

  man -s 3xcurses libcurses

vs.

  man libcurses

If you want to compile and link against the X/Open version
of the curses library, you need to have

 -I/usr/xpg4/include

in CPPFLAGS and CFLAGS, and either

 -L/usr/xpg4/lib

or

 -L/usr/xpg4/lib/64

(depending on whether you're compiling for ILP32 or LP64).
/usr/xpg4/lib and /usr/xpg4/lib/64 are also not in the
default loader search path, so you either need to modify the
loader search path (man crle) or your also need a
-R/usr/xpg4/lib or -R/usr/xpg4/lib/64 in LDFLAGS too.

Because of the way the _cursesmodule is currently written,
though, it assumes that if __sun is defined as a
preprocessor symbol, STRICT_SYSV_CURSES should be defined,
which actually causes problems if you try build with with
newer X/Open curses.

It should be possible to support building against either
curses implementation on Solaris, but for now your patch at
least makes _cursesmodule compile with the default version.

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Committed in rev.50845, so this fix will be in Python 2.5.

Closing this bug.  If someone wants to submit a patch to use
X/Open curses, please do.  (I don't have a Solaris machine,
so I can't assemble a patch myself.)