[Python-Dev] PEP 488: elimination of PYO files

[Chris Angelico]

On Sat, Mar 7, 2015 at 6:09 AM, Benjamin Peterson <benjamin at python.org> wrote:
> I think it would be preferable deprecate -O and -OO and replace them
> with flags like --no-docstrings or --no-asserts. Ideally, "optimization"
> levels shouldn't change program semantics.

Plenty of C compilers have optimization levels that can change
behaviour (replacing division with mult-by-reciprocal and such), so I
don't see any reason for Python to object. The removal of docstrings
will be a problem to only a handful of programs (eg [1]) which use
them for more than introspection. And the removal of assert shouldn't
be a semantic change to a well-written program.

[1] https://github.com/Rosuav/LetMeKnow/blob/master/letmeknow.py

ChrisA