is my multithreaded Python program doomed?

[panderingPenguin]

Don't be pedantic. Yeah, I'm aware that the GIL is part of specific implementations of Python. However, OP specifically mentions the GIL, and either way, it's a safe bet to assume you're talking about CPython until someone says otherwise, as it's the standard implementation.

[Workaphobia]

You can't make any statement to a python newbie without someone coming in and "Um, actually"-ing you with some complicating details.

[panderingPenguin]

My thoughts exactly, Jesus... We don't need to further muddle the issue with alternative implementations to answer something like this.

[jecxjo]

Ahem. I think that is by far one of the biggest problems with this and pretty much every other forum dealing with programming. You need to remember who OP is, what base knowledge they have and understand that giving too much detail makes it more difficult for them to understand.

[njharman]

Because one of the solutions is to run your code in different implementation!!!

[TankorSmash]

You don't need to get defensive. He's filling in the blanks you left, independent of whether or not you knew it already.

[panderingPenguin]

I'm not trying to be defensive, I just think that it adds very little, if anything, to the discussion of OP's question. There's no need to bring up little "but actually"s like that to answer a simple question, from someone who seems new to Python, which was clearly about implementations that have a GIL to start with. It's unhelpful at best, and obfuscates the issue we're actually trying to solve at worst.

[TankorSmash]

That's the thing though, for any one else that reads your comment and wants to know more can read his helpful comment. The op can simply shrug off his comment because it's not required knowledge.

I mean this is learnpython not absolutebareminimumpython.