[Python-Dev] issue 9141, finalizers and gc module

Tue Apr 17 20:30:55 CEST 2012

On 2012年4月17日 17:22:57 +0000
Kristján Valur Jónsson <kristjan at ccpgames.com> wrote:
> > 
> > We are all consenting adults. Everything is allowed - you just have to live with
> > the consequences.
>> Well, we specifically decided that objects with __del__ methods that are part of a cycle cannot be run.
> The same reasoning was applied to generators, if they are in a certain state.
> What makes iobase so special that its 'close' method can be run even if it is part of a cycle?

The reason is that making file objects uncollectable when they are part
of a reference cycle would be a PITA and a serious regression for many
applications, I think.
> Why not allow it for all objects, then?

I'm not the author of the original GC design. Perhaps it was
deliberately conservative at the time? I think PyPy has a more tolerant
solution for finalizers in reference cycles, perhaps they can explain it
here.
Regards
Antoine.