[Python-Dev] I'd like list.pop to accept an optional second argument giving a default value

[Skip Montanaro]

    Jim> I like the list pop method because it provides a way to use lists
    Jim> as thread safe queues and stacks (since append and pop are
    Jim> protected by the global interpreter lock).

The global interpreter lock is a property of the current implementation of
Python, not of the language itself.  At one point in the past Greg Stein
created a set of patches that eliminated the lock.  While it's perhaps
convenient to use now, it may not always exist.  I'm not so sure that it
should be used as a motivator for changes to libraries in the standard
distribution.

Skip