[Python-Dev] Accessing globals without dict lookup

[Tim Peters]

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> In the face of exec statements or calls to execfile can't the
> compiler just generate the usual LOAD_NAME fallback instead of the new-
> fangled LOAD_GLOBAL opcode?

Note that exec doesn't have to be passed a string:  you can pass it a
compiled code object just as well.  The compiler can't guess how a code
object will be used at the time it's compiled.  In theory there would be
nothing to stop exec from rewriting the bytecode in a compiled code object
passed to it, but I doubt we could get Guido to buy that trick until he
first buys rewriting bytecode to set debugger breakpoints <wink>.