[Python-Dev] Why does _PyUnicode_FromId return a new reference?

["Martin v. Löwis"]

Am 05.11.2011 23:26, schrieb Antoine Pitrou:
> 
> Given it returns an eternal object, and it's almost always used
> temporarily (for attribute lookup, string joining, etc.), it would seem
> more practical for it to return a borrowed reference.

For purity reasons: all PyUnicode_From* functions return new references
(most of them return actually new objects most of the time); having
PyUnicode_FromId return a borrowed reference would break uniformity.
I personally it difficult to remember which functions return borrowed
references, and wish there were fewer of them in the API (with
PyArg_ParseTuple being the notable exception where borrowed references
are a good idea).

Now, practicality beats purity, so the real answer is: I just didn't
consider that it might return a borrowed reference.

Regards,
Martin