[Python-Dev] Assigning to __debug__

[Guido van Rossum]

> FWIW, this change broke a lot of my code and it took an hour or two to fix
> it. I too was misled by the wording when __debug__ was introduced. I could
> swear there were even examples of assigning to it, but maybe I'm dreaming.
> Anyway, I thought I could.
> 
> Regardless of my delusions, this is another change that breaks code in the
> middle of a beta cycle. I think that is not a good thing. It is one thing
> when one goes to get a new beta or alpha; you expect to spend some time
> then. It is another when one has been a good soldier and tried the beta and
> is now using it for routine work and updating to a new version of it breaks
> something because someone thought it ought to be broken. (If I don't use it
> for my work I certainly won't find any problems with it). I realize that
> this can't be a hard and fast rule but I think this one in particular
> deserves warning status now and change in 2.2.

OK, this is the second confirmed report of broken 3rd party code, so
we'll change this into a warning.  Jeremy, that should be easy, right?

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)