[Python-Dev] The endless GIL debate: why not remove thread support instead? (original) (raw)

"Martin v. Löwis" martin at v.loewis.de
Fri Dec 19 00:55:19 CET 2008

OK, but how close is it to providing isolation for threads running under the control of the GIL?

They won't be indedepent. If an extension module has a global variable, that will be shared across interpreters. If that variable supports modifiable state, such modifications will "leak" across interpreters.

For example, there will be only a single object class. With that in mind, take a look at object.subclasses(); it would provide access to all classes, including those in the other interpreters. Likewise, gc.get_objects() will give you the complete list of all objects. So the isolation is not strong enough to run untrusted code isolated from other code.

Regards, Martin

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