[Python-Dev] PEP 329: Treating Builtins as Constants in the Standard Library (original) (raw)

Michael Hudson mwh at python.net
Tue Apr 20 06:59:28 EDT 2004

"Phillip J. Eby" <pje at telecommunity.com> writes:

At 09:55 AM 4/19/04 -0400, Raymond Hettinger wrote:

> I'm not sure I understand the reasoning for implementing this via a > bytecode hack, rather than in the compiler or loading mechanisms.

The reason is that it is not always possible to know (in general) what things constants. Take a look at the ASPN recipe example, it ought to clarify for you how this works. I don't need clarification about the mechanism; I independently implemented exactly this hack myself a couple of years ago. (I just didn't propose it become part of standard Python.) See 'bindfunc()' in: http://cvs.eby-sarna.com/PEAK/src/peak/util/Code.py?rev=1.1.2.1&content-type=text/vnd.viewcvs-markup

Here was me thinking I was the only one nuts enough to implement the bytecodehacks, and I find everyone's at it!

Cheers, mwh

-- Academic politics is the most vicious and bitter form of politics, because the stakes are so low. -- Wallace Sayre

More information about the Python-Dev mailing list