[Python-3000] StringIO vs cStringIO, pickle vs cPickle

[Aahz]

On Tue, Apr 04, 2006, Just van Rossum wrote:
>
> Has there been any discussion yet about StringIO vs cStringIO and pickle
> vs cPickle?

Now there is!

> While I appreciate that there are maintained pure Python versions of
> those modules, as a user it irritates me that I have the choice. The
> argument so far for not replacing StringIO with cStringIO was that
> they're subtly incompatible (mostly StringIO's "feature" to support
> unicode, right?), so Python 3000 seems like a good time to reconsider
> that option. I don't see any reason to not always want to prefer the
> faster version.

Suggestion: make string_io (we're renaming the module, right?) and pickle
contain a UserStringIO and UserPickle class.  Alternatively, they could
be moved wholesale into a python_types module, where we collectively
maintain Python versions of *all* Python types, including lists and
tuples.

IOW, I do argue for keeping the Python code somehow, and keeping them
officially maintained.  Obviously it gets a little absurd with lists and
numbers, for example, but I think that showing off good use of __new__
would be a Good Thing.
-- 
Aahz (aahz at pythoncraft.com)           <*>         http://www.pythoncraft.com/

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