[Python-ideas] Re: Generalized deferred computation in Python

I think I have an idea how to do something like what you're asking with less magic, and I think an example implementation of this could actually be done in pure Python code (though a more performant implementation would need support at the C level). What if a deferred object has 1 magic method ( __isdeferred__ ) that is invoked directly rather than causing a thunk, and invocation of any other method does cause a thunk. For the example implementation, a thunk would simply mean that the value is computed and stored within the instance, and method calls on the wrapper are now delegated to that. In the proper implementation, the object would change its identity to become its computed result.