[Python-Dev] Consolidate stateful runtime globals

[Benjamin Peterson]

On Wed, Sep 6, 2017, at 10:08, Antoine Pitrou wrote:
> On Wed, 06 Sep 2017 09:42:29 -0700
> Benjamin Peterson <benjamin at python.org> wrote:
> > On Wed, Sep 6, 2017, at 03:14, Antoine Pitrou wrote:
> > > 
> > > Hello,
> > > 
> > > I'm a bit concerned about
> > > https://github.com/python/cpython/commit/76d5abc8684bac4f2fc7cccfe2cd940923357351
> > > 
> > > My main gripe is that makes writing C code more tedious.  Simple C
> > > global variables such as "_once_registry" are now spelled
> > > "_PyRuntime.warnings.once_registry".  The most egregious example seems
> > > to be "_PyRuntime.ceval.gil.locked" (used to be simply "gil_locked").
> > > 
> > > Granted, C is more verbose than Python, but it doesn't have to become
> > > that verbose.  I don't know about you, but when code becomes annoying
> > > to type, I tend to try and take shortcuts.  
> > 
> > How often are you actually typing the names of runtime globals, though?
> 
> Not very often, but if I want to experiment with some low-level
> implementation details, it is nice to avoid the hassle.

It seems like this could be remediated with some inline functions or
macros, which would also help safely encapsulate state.

> 
> There's also a readability argument: with very long names, expressions
> can become less easy to parse.
> 
> > If you are using a globals, perhaps the typing time will allow you to
> > fully consider the gravity of the situation.
> 
> Right, I needed to be reminded of how perilous the use of C globals is.
> Perhaps I should contact the PSRT the next time I contemplate using a C
> global.

It's not just you but future readers.