[Python-Dev] Re: native code compiler? (or, OCaml vs. Python)

[Guido van Rossum]

>   GvR> What I proposed was only closing off write access to the
>   GvR> __dict__ so that the setattr code for type module can implement
>   GvR> certain restrictions (e.g. no assignment to attributes named
>   GvR> "len").
> 
> I'd certainly like that feature, except for the times I'd want to
> circumvent it.
> 
> On many occasions I have externally patched a module's namespace for
> debugging.  It's been really convenient to replace some function with
> a wrapper that does some logging or updates a table tracking currently
> used resources.  I've done the same with builtin open/file.  As you
> noted, it seems less useful to override other builtins for this purpose.
> 
> I'd suggest that frozen module namespaces by a feature of -O, except
> that I never use -O.

We really only need to disallow assignment to names that would shadow
builtins that are in fact inlined by the compiler.  open/file wouldn't
be one of these (specifically open/file would be exempted from
inlining, and so would __import__, because these are known special
cases).

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