PEP 703: Making the Python global interpreter lock optional

In late 2021, LWN covered a plan toeliminate the Python global interpreter lock (GIL), thus improving thelanguage's thread-level concurrency. This plan has now been codified as PEP 703, which includesan extensive discussion of the changes that would be made.

The global interpreter lock will remain the default for CPythonbuilds and python.org downloads. A new build configuration flag,--without-gil will be added to the configure script thatwill build CPython without the global interpreter lock.

The posting of a PEP is only one step in a long path toward integratingthis change into the CPython interpreter; expect some extended discussionsover the coming months.