[Python-Dev] Re: [Python-checkins] CVS: python/dist/src/Lib urllib.py,1.96,1.97

[Guido van Rossum]

> From: "Eric S. Raymond" <esr@thyrsus.com>

> Guido van Rossum <guido@beopen.com>:
> > I believe you are mistaken, or at least expressing yourself unclearly
> > in the checkin comment.  While the test function *objects* indeed
> > aren't created in your new version, it doesn't actually save any time
> > when loading the module: all the code in a module is parsed, or all
> > the bytecode is unmarshalled, regardless of whether it is executed.
> > All you save in performance is a LOAD_CONST, a MAKE_FUNCTION, and a
> > STORE_NAME -- all of which don't really do any work.
> 
> OK, correction accepted.  But this is still a good idea for documentation
> purposes, no?

Actually, it makes manual testing of the module a little harder: from
inside Python, I used to be able to say

  >>> import urllib
  >> urllib.test()

With your change that doesn't work any more, so I'd rather see you
revert it back...

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://dinsdale.python.org/~guido/)