Is there any downside to the -O flag apart from...

The search results provided do not directly address the specific question about the downsides of the Python -O flag, other than the loss of built-in debugging information. However, based on general knowledge about the -O flag in Python, it can be stated that the -O flag, which stands for "optimize", is used to generate optimized bytecode. When this flag is used, Python will remove assert statements and any code conditional upon the value of __debug__.

Apart from missing out on built-in debugging information, other potential downsides of using the -O flag include:

1. Reduced Transparency: The removal of assert statements can make it harder to understand the flow of the program and to detect where things might be going wrong, as assertions can serve as internal self-checks during execution.

2. Potential for Masking Errors: Since assert statements are removed, any assumptions about the state of the program that are being checked with these assertions will no longer be verified during execution. This could potentially allow some errors to go unnoticed until they cause more significant problems.

3. Code Behavior Changes: If the program logic relies on the __debug__ variable, which is set to True unless the -O flag is used, the behavior of the code could change when optimization is enabled. This could lead to unexpected results if not properly accounted for.

4. Limited Performance Gains: The performance improvements gained by using the -O flag might be minimal...