[Python-Dev] ob_refcnt access

[Mark Hammond]

[Tim tells me it will all be obvious if I just think a little harder
<wink>]

Your points about "acedemic examples" is well taken.  The reality is that,
even given these simple examples (which I dared deride as acedemic), the
simple fact is Im not seeing "the point".

I seriously dont doubt all all you say.  However, as Sam and Chris have
said many times, it is just a matter of changing the way to you think.

Interestingly:
Chris said it recently, and continues to say it.
Sam said it to me _years_ ago, and said it repeatedly, but hasnt said it
recently.
Tim hasnt really said it yet :-)

This is almost certainly because when your brain does switch, it is a
revelation, and really not too hard at all.  But after a while, you forget
the switch ever took place.

Closest analogy I can think of is OO programming.  In my experience trying
to _learn_ OO programming from a few misc examples and texts was pointless
and very hard.  You need a language to play with it in.  And when you have
one, your brain makes the switch, you see the light, and you can't see what
was ever mysterious about it.  And you tell everyone its easy; "just change
the way you think about data" :-)
But to all us here, OO programming is just so obvious it goes without
saying.  Occasionaly a newbie will have trouble with OO concepts in Python,
and I personally have trouble seeing what could _possibly_ be difficult
about understanding these very simple concepts.  So Im just as guilty, just
not in this particular case :-)

So, short of all us here going and discovering the light using a different
language (perish the thought :), my original point stands that until Chris'
efforts give us something we can easily play with, some of use _still_ wont
see what all the fuss is about. (Although I admit it has nothing to do with
either the examples or the applicability of the technology to all sorts of
things)

Which leaves you poor guys in a catch 22 - without noise of some sort from
the rest of us, its hard to keep the momentum going, but without basically
a fully working Python with continuations, we wont be making much noise.

But-I-will-thank-you-all-personally-and-profusely-when-I-do-see-the-light,
ly

Mark.