01
What compile() actually produces
Follow Python source through ASTs and code objects, then watch execution supply the frame and namespaces that compiled code does not contain.
Independent field notes / Vol. 01
Python,
below the surface.
Precise explanations of the machinery, patterns, and tradeoffs that make Python feel deceptively simple.
Read the cover storyThe index
Choose a rabbit hole.
4 notes, edited for signal.
02
Exceptions are control flow with machinery
Follow exceptions through matching, unwinding, chaining, cleanup, exception groups, and CPython 3.14 exception tables.
03
Frames, locals, globals, and builtins
Trace Python name resolution through live frames, fast locals, module globals, builtins, and the namespace rules around exec.
04
sys.modules and the truth about import caching
Trace module identity, partial initialization, reloads, and cache invalidation through Python's real import protocol.
Editorial policy
No listicles. No folklore. No just trust me abstractions.
Every note should leave you with a better model of the system, not just another snippet to paste.