does python have useless destructors?

[Aahz]

In article <n5mrp1-acm.ln1 at home.rogerbinns.com>,
Roger Binns <rogerb at rogerbinns.com> wrote:
>
>The whole problem that this thread is about is that Python has this
>bizarre scheme that an object will be garbage collected *unless* you
>add a __del__ method, at which point the docs imply you will be lucky
>for garbage collection to *ever* happen on the object.

Please keep the distinction between refcounting and GC clear.  The
business with __del__ breaking memory management *only* occurs when you
need to use GC because you've got a cycle.  Historically, Python didn't
have GC, and you had leaky memory whenever you had cycles.  Now we've
got a much-improved situation.
-- 
Aahz (aahz at pythoncraft.com)           <*>         http://www.pythoncraft.com/

"as long as we like the same operating system, things are cool." --piranha