Path: csiph.com!usenet.pasdenom.info!aioe.org!news.stack.nl!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed4.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!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 0.070 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.86; '*S*': 0.00; 'ambiguity': 0.09; 'objects,': 0.09; 'received:80.91': 0.09; 'received:80.91.229': 0.09; 'received:gmane.org': 0.09; 'received:list': 0.09; 'api': 0.11; 'python': 0.11; "wouldn't": 0.14; 'caring': 0.16; 'finney': 0.16; 'garrett': 0.16; 'pythonic': 0.16; 'rather,': 0.16; 'received:80.91.229.3': 0.16; 'received:plane.gmane.org': 0.16; 'input': 0.22; 'this?': 0.23; 'header:User-Agent:1': 0.23; 'bytes': 0.24; 'switch': 0.26; 'header:X-Complaints-To:1': 0.27; 'to?': 0.30; 'code': 0.31; 'them?': 0.31; 'with,': 0.31; 'writes:': 0.31; 'know.': 0.32; 'thanks!': 0.32; 'text': 0.33; 'something': 0.35; 'there': 0.35; 'data,': 0.36; 'method': 0.36; 'possible': 0.36; 'two': 0.37; 'clear': 0.37; 'ben': 0.38; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.38; 'expect': 0.39; 'explain': 0.39; 'embedded': 0.39; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'received:org': 0.40; 'skip:u 10': 0.60; 'is.': 0.60; 'ago,': 0.61; 'times': 0.62; 'hear': 0.63; 'myself': 0.63; 'face': 0.64; 'provide': 0.64; 'more': 0.64; 'love': 0.65; 'great': 0.65; 'god': 0.65; 'skip:\xe2 10': 0.65; '8bit%:21': 0.69; '8bit%:46': 0.78; 'devices,': 0.84; 'or...': 0.84; 'received:125': 0.84; 'refuses': 0.84; '1988': 0.91 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ To: python-list@python.org From: Ben Finney Subject: Re: encode and decode builtins Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 18:50:45 +1100 References: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Gmane-NNTP-Posting-Host: jigong.madmonks.org X-Public-Key-ID: 0xAC128405 X-Public-Key-Fingerprint: 517C F14B B2F3 98B0 CB35 4855 B8B2 4C06 AC12 8405 X-Public-Key-URL: http://www.benfinney.id.au/contact/bfinney-pubkey.asc X-Post-From: Ben Finney User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/24.4 (gnu/linux) Cancel-Lock: sha1:pFiyHpbnO9kcUSso/Z6YyUKujdU= X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15 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: 37 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1416124257 news.xs4all.nl 2854 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:50411 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:80860 Garrett Berg writes: > I made the switch to python 3 about two months ago, and I have to say > I love everything about it, *especially* the change to using only > bytes and str (no more unicode! or... everything is unicode!) As > someone who works with embedded devices, it is great to know what data > I am working with. THanks! It is great to hear from people directly benefiting from this clear distinction. > However, there are times that I do not care what data I am working > with, and I find myself writing something like: > > if isinstance(data, bytes): data = data.decode() Why are you in a position where ‘data’ is not known to be bytes? If you want ‘unicode’ objects, isn't the API guaranteeing to provide them? > This is tedious and breaks the pythonic method of not caring about > what your input is. I wouldn't call that Pythonic. Rather, in the face of ambiguity (“is this text or bytes?”), Pythonic code refuses the temptation to guess: you need to clarify what you have as early as possible in the process. > If I expect that my input can always be decoded into valid data, then > why do I have to write this? I don't know. Why do you have to? -- \ “God was invented to explain mystery. God is always invented to | `\ explain those things that you do not understand.” —Richard P. | _o__) Feynman, 1988 | Ben Finney