I think I mis-spoke. I didn't really mean "rant", I meant "nit-pick". It's akin to the frequent complaints I hear about `len()` being a function rather than a method on `list` and `str` types.
This internal detail you focused on solves real problems; it's also a wart internally. OK, we get it. It's also not a hugely important wart, IMO. I don't think it's holding Python back.
But, like I said, I think the article was an interesting walkthrough of the internals. I enjoyed it overall :)
I think this is a bad comparison, because len() vs. foo.len() is just syntax, and isolated syntax at that. It's valuable to get syntax right, but this particular decision doesn't really impact anything outside of itself.
In contrast, the article suggests that the implementation of method dispatch slots (not __slots__!) actually constraints the optimizations you can make.
I get that you're trying to suggest that they're both small, but I think that this analogy only serves to confuse things.
This internal detail you focused on solves real problems; it's also a wart internally. OK, we get it. It's also not a hugely important wart, IMO. I don't think it's holding Python back.
But, like I said, I think the article was an interesting walkthrough of the internals. I enjoyed it overall :)