Assignment to __builtins__.__debug__ doesn't do anything.

[jemfinch]

BPO	862600
Nosy	@tim-one, @rhettinger

^{Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.}

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GitHub fields:

assignee = 'https://github.com/rhettinger'
closed_at = <Date 2004-01-16.04:08:38.000>
created_at = <Date 2003-12-18.23:55:52.000>
labels = ['interpreter-core']
title = "Assignment to __builtins__.__debug__ doesn't do anything."
updated_at = <Date 2004-01-16.04:08:38.000>
user = 'https://bugs.python.org/jemfinch'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2004-01-16.04:08:38.000>
actor = 'tim.peters'
assignee = 'rhettinger'
closed = True
closed_date = None
closer = None
components = ['Interpreter Core']
creation = <Date 2003-12-18.23:55:52.000>
creator = 'jemfinch'
dependencies = []
files = []
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 862600
keywords = []
message_count = 3.0
messages = ['19440', '19441', '19442']
nosy_count = 3.0
nosy_names = ['tim.peters', 'rhettinger', 'jemfinch']
pr_nums = []
priority = 'normal'
resolution = 'wont fix'
stage = None
status = 'closed'
superseder = None
type = None
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue862600'
versions = ['Python 2.3']

[jemfinch]

In 2.2, it would dynamically turn off asserts: 
 
Python 2.2.3+ (#1, Sep 30 2003, 01:19:08) 
[GCC 3.3.2 20030908 (Debian prerelease)] on linux2 
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more 
information. 
>>> __debug__ 
1 
>>> __builtins__.__debug__ = 0 
>>> assert 0, "There should be nothing raised." 
>>> 
 
But in 2.3, this changed: 
 
Python 2.3.2 (#2, Nov 11 2003, 00:22:57) 
[GCC 3.3.2 (Debian)] on linux2 
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more 
information. 
>>> __debug__ 
True 
>>> __builtins__debug__ = False 
>>> assert 0, "There should be nothing raised." 
Traceback (most recent call last): 
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in ? 
AssertionError: There should be nothing raised. 
>>> 
 
If this is in fact the intended behavior (I hope it's not) then 
what's an application author to do when he wants to offer 
users a -O option *to his application* that turns off asserts?

[jemfinch]

Logged In: YES
user_id=99508

Is this something that's likely to get fixed, or is it
something that I should start developing a workaround for?

[tim-one]

Logged In: YES
user_id=31435

The NEWS file in your Python distribution, under the notes for
2.3 alpha 1, says:

"""

• The assert statement no longer tests __debug__ at
  runtime. This means that assert statements cannot be
  disabled by assigning a false value to __debug__.
  """

Do a Google search on

site:mail.python.org python-dev assert __debug__

if you want to read a lot more about it. The decision on
Guido's part was certainly intentional. If people had griped
during the extremely long alpha/beta/release_candidate 2.3
cycle, he might have backed off -- but nobody did, so you're
best off to consider this one a dead issue.