This is a misdiagnosis. The fancy handling is invoked only when the exception reaches the top level (i.e. when the python interpreter is about to exit anyway). It is <i>not</i> done when an exception is raised, and adds no overhead to code that uses exceptions at runtime.<p>Think of it as similar to the bash handler that searches for known executable names on failed commands and prompts you for an apt-get line to install the software. It takes significant time, but only runs on error.
I love Ubuntu, particularly the package management, but the magical stuff they do in packages is extremely frustrating.<p>The base PHP module includes suhosin, while there's also a suhosin module which just places the configuration file, that should be there by default.<p>Suhosin can cause apps to run amock if you're dealing with large arrays or big posts. It's a nice to have feature, but it's also a feature that needs to be disclosed to a developer before trying to develop against it.<p>Anything that modifies the behavior of the base language needs to be explicitly called out when the package is installed.