[Python-Dev] breaking list.append()

[Tim Peters]

[/F]
>     append = list.append
>     for x in something:
>         append(...)

[M.-A. Lemburg]
> Same here.  checkappend.py doesn't find these

As detailed in a c.l.py posting, I have yet to find a single instance of
this actually called with multiple arguments.  Pointing out that it's
*possible* isn't the same as demonstrating it's an actual problem.  I'm
quite willing to believe that it is, but haven't yet seen evidence of it.
For whatever reason, people seem much (and, in my experience so far,
infinitely <wink>) more prone to make the

    list.append(1, 2, 3)

error than the

    maybethisisanappend(1, 2, 3)

error.

> (a great tool BTW, thanks Tim; I noticed that it leaks memory badly
> though).

Which Python?  Which OS?  How do you know?  What were you running it over?

Using 1.5.2 under Win95, according to wintop, & over the whole CVS tree, the
total (code + data) virtual memory allocated to it peaked at about 2Mb a few
seconds into the run, and actually decreased as time went on.  So, akin to
the bound method multi-argument append problem, the "checkappend leak
problem" is something I simply have no reason to believe <wink>.  Check your
claim again?  checkappend.py itself obviously creates no cycles or holds on
to any state across files, so if you're seeing a leak it must be a bug in
some other part of the version of Python + std libraries you're using.
Maybe a new 1.6 bug?  Something you did while adding Unicode?  Etc.  Tell us
what you were running.

Has anyone else seen a leak?