Re: [Python-Dev] I'd like list.pop to accept an optional second argument giving a default value

Jim> I like the list pop method because it provides a way to use lists Jim> as thread safe queues and stacks (since append and pop are Jim> protected by the global interpreter lock). The global interpreter lock is a property of the current implementation of Python, not of the language itself. At one point in the past Greg Stein created a set of patches that eliminated the lock. While it's perhaps convenient to use now, it may not always exist. I'm not so sure that it should be used as a motivator for changes to libraries in the standard distribution. Skip