Why do some calls in Python LanceFileReader hold the GIL lock? Are these necessary?

[lorinlee]

Hi, I'm new to the Lance file format. When I use the Python LanceFileReader to read .lance files directly, I noticed that some of its calls don’t release the GIL, which seems to prevent Python threads from running concurrently. Could you explain why the GIL is held during these operations? If they can be optimized, I’d be happy to open a PR to improve them.

Eg.
https://github.com/lancedb/lance/blob/fc75b8d9aefaff62e8cd4c45995279919c79f963/python/src/file.rs#L495

For example, the current RT.runtime.block_on call appears not to release the GIL; it looks like we need to invoke RT.block_on instead.

[lorinlee]

@wjones127 Hi, I saw that you previously implemented a Background Executor, so you’re likely familiar with the topic. Would you mind helping me with this question? Thank you very much!