[Python-Dev] PEP 384: Defining a Stable ABI

[Dino Viehland]

Dirkjan Ochtman wrote:
>
> It would seem to me that optimizations are likely to require data
> structure changes, for exactly the kind of core data structures that
> you're talking about locking down. But that's just a high-level view,
> I might be wrong.
>


In particular I would guess that ref counting is the biggest issue here.
I would think not directly exposing the field and having inc/dec ref
Functions (real methods, not macros) for it would give a lot more
ability to change the API in the future.

It also might make it easier for alternate implementations to support
the same API so some modules could work cross implementation - but I
suspect that's a non-goal of this PEP :).

Other fields directly accessed (via macros or otherwise) might have similar
problems but they don't seem as core as ref counting.