Path: csiph.com!usenet.pasdenom.info!weretis.net!feeder1.news.weretis.net!feeder.erje.net!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed6.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!newsgate.cistron.nl!newsgate.news.xs4all.nl!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.030 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.94; '*S*': 0.00; 'subject:data': 0.07; 'assuming': 0.09; 'bytes.': 0.09; 'subject:string': 0.09; 'python': 0.11; 'assume': 0.12; '(although': 0.16; 'correlation': 0.16; 'driscoll': 0.16; 'entirely.': 0.16; 'from:addr:rosuav': 0.16; 'from:name:chris angelico': 0.16; 'spec': 0.16; 'subject:changing': 0.16; 'received:209.85.210.174': 0.20; 'received:mail-iy0-f174.google.com': 0.20; 'programming': 0.21; 'wrote:': 0.21; 'header:In-Reply-To:1': 0.22; 'language,': 0.23; 'message-id:@mail.gmail.com': 0.27; 'least': 0.27; 'bit': 0.28; 'pm,': 0.28; 'remotely': 0.29; 'code': 0.29; 'level': 0.30; 'received:209.85': 0.32; 'received:209.85.210': 0.32; 'received:google.com': 0.32; 'subject: (': 0.33; 'practices': 0.33; 'thu,': 0.33; 'could': 0.34; 'certain': 0.34; 'skip:s 20': 0.34; 'received:209': 0.35; 'depends': 0.35; 'subject:)': 0.36; 'trouble': 0.36; 'but': 0.36; 'data': 0.38; 'software': 0.38; 'someone': 0.38; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.39; 'think': 0.40; 'how': 0.40; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.40; 'mar': 0.61; 'between': 0.64; 'high': 0.65; 'strings': 0.66; 'details': 0.69; '2012': 0.69; 'actually,': 0.84; 'assumptions': 0.84; 'deserves': 0.84; "else's": 0.84; 'lying': 0.84; '29,': 0.93 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20120113; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:date:message-id:subject:from:to :content-type:content-transfer-encoding; bh=5aE96sZVLb9d23ld2PjlWAsdiZVzT9hbqookBiU1dfo=; b=m/pBsOkFAxxbR97/DWY3+tG2anaQL4I8V9j/dj8X92rLzLlVoB9EulHW7dQ6+FLiSN PUP/IH2NyYrEzU5imzdACC9GwPZqkJMR2VzxFOTLFVv27Xu9WfaahTakW2av3+NEcjIZ NbIZFOI6Qx/2wfHvzWigsAw+M7eXpEenhY29ZCC6EvdbxsCRZIkb3Lb87lAtI7MhO4B2 KG5a9fnD8WRkeqC4eK7XsLd0aTE+LZP5xv3jULBb2qcxyIOS9JTbW8dt8TXcguL/j5sA 1a8k//8y1jPRZ+tcWE1uXgusQh8COLjnuOxzGQsN5HmyUqbu4ecp8erchNAeD96uE8kf RUOw== MIME-Version: 1.0 In-Reply-To: References: <9tg21lFmo3U1@mid.dfncis.de> Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:31:59 +1100 Subject: Re: Re: Re: "convert" string to bytes without changing data (encoding) From: Chris Angelico To: python-list@python.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.12 Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Message-ID: Lines: 22 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1332991922 news.xs4all.nl 6847 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:53295 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:22324 On Thu, Mar 29, 2012 at 2:04 PM, Ross Ridge wr= ote: > Evan Driscoll =A0 wrote: >>People like you -- who write to assumptions which are not even remotely >>guaranteed by the spec -- are part of the reason software sucks. > ... >>This email is a bit harsher than it deserves -- but I feel not by much. > > I don't see how you could feel the least bit justified. =A0Well meaning, > if unhelpful, lies about the nature Python strings in order to try to > convince someone to follow what you think are good programming practices > is one thing. =A0Maliciously lying about someone else's code that you've > never seen is another thing entirely. Actually, he is justified. It's one thing to work in C or assembly and write code that depends on certain bit-pattern representations of data (although even that causes trouble - assuming that sizeof(int)=3D=3Dsizeof(int*) isn't good for portability), but in a high level language, you cannot assume any correlation between objects and bytes. Any code that depends on implementation details is risky. ChrisA