[Python-Dev] Fast access to __builtins__

[Guido van Rossum]

> The question is: why make this complicated ?
> 
> If the programmer enables __fast_builtins__ (or similar) in the
> module scope, she should be aware that tweaking the module globals
> from the outside won't have the desired effect.

I don't want programmers to have to add all sorts of magical
incantations to their top to guide the optimizer.  Today it's
__fast_builtins__, tomorrow it's a promise that a class won't be
poked.

Poking a module from the outside is frequent enough, but poking names
that shadow builtins is extremely rare.  So almost all modules would
need __fast_builtins__, because it would almost always help.

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