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Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:54:29 -0500
From: Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com>
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To: Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info>
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Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:22035

On 03/22/12 12:26, Steven D'Aprano wrote:
> On Thu, 22 Mar 2012 08:14:47 -0500, Tycho Andersen wrote:
>> Given that you can't trust __del__, is there a legitimate
>> use case for it?
>
> I've never found the need to write one.

I've found the need to write them...then been frustrated by 
things falling out of namespace reach, and found that context 
managers do a much more reliable/understandable job, saving what 
little sanity I had left. ;-)

So I'd say that __del__ was really only useful (for some sick, 
sick definition of "useful") in versions of Python before 
context-managers were readily available.

-tkc