[Python-Dev] Re: [Python-checkins]python/dist/src/Modules gcmodule.c,2.33.6.5,2.33.6.6

[Tim Peters]

[Greg Ewing]
> This further confirms my opinion that __del__ methods are evil, and
> the language would be the better for their complete removal.

They sure create more than their share of implementation headaches, so don't
fare well on the "if the implementation is hard to explain, it's a bad idea"
scale.

> Failing that, perhaps they should be made a bit less dynamic, so that
> the GC can make reasonable assumptions about their existence without
> having to execute Python code.

Guido already did so for new-style classes in Python 2.3.  That machinery
doesn't exist in 2.2.2, and old-style classes remain a problem under 2.3
too.  Backward compatibility constrains how much we can get away with, of
course.