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Message: [QUOTE="Paul Rubin, post: 1830892"] I thought there was a Zen thing somewhere saying that Python is not Perl. One of Perl's silliest tenets is that the implementation defines the language. There are already 4 different Python implementations (CPython, Jython, Pypy, IronPython) and probably more on the way. We should take the view that the manual, not the implementation, defines the language. The manual doesn't specify anything about reference counting or GC happening as soon as something goes out of scope. That is a GOOD thing since requiring CPython-like behavior would eliminate many good GC techniques, including some that are both more efficient and easier for extension writers to deal with. Since reference counting is not in the manual, it is not part of the language, it's subject to change at any time in any implementation, and non-throwaway Python apps should not depend on it. On the other hand, the try/finally explicit release is cumbersome and non-tasty. Therefore, the correct solution is a language extension along the lines of PEP 343. I haven't studied PEP 343 specifically enough to say that I think every detail of it is the right thing, but at least it is the right idea. [/QUOTE]