More comments about why not closing a dumddbm properly can be a disaster.
diff --git a/Lib/dumbdbm.py b/Lib/dumbdbm.py
index db093d4..8e2ec90 100644
--- a/Lib/dumbdbm.py
+++ b/Lib/dumbdbm.py
@@ -128,8 +128,8 @@
return (pos, len(val))
# key is a new key whose associated value starts in the data file
- # at offset pos and with length size. Add an index record to
- # the in-memory index dict, and append one to the index file.
+ # at offset pos and with length siz. Add an index record to
+ # the in-memory index dict, and append one to the directory file.
def _addkey(self, key, pos_and_siz_pair):
self._index[key] = pos_and_siz_pair
f = _open(self._dirfile, 'a', self._mode)
@@ -157,7 +157,11 @@
# Note that _index may be out of synch with the directory
# file now: _setval() and _addval() don't update the directory
- # file.
+ # file. This also means that the on-disk directory and data
+ # files are in a mutually inconsistent state, and they'll
+ # remain that way until _commit() is called. Note that this
+ # is a disaster (for the database) if the program crashes
+ # (so that _commit() never gets called).
def __delitem__(self, key):
# The blocks used by the associated value are lost.