[Python-3000] Help on text editors

[David Hopwood]

Michael Urman wrote:
> On 9/7/06, David Hopwood <david.nospam.hopwood at blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
> 
>>Yes. However, this is not a good idea for precisely the reason described
>>on that page (false detection of Unicode), and so any Unicode detection
>>algorithm in Python should only be based on detecting a BOM, IMHO.
> 
> Right, except BOMs break tons of Unix applications (and even
> occasional Windows ones) which do not expect them.

This problem is overstated. A BOM anywhere in a text causes no problem with
display, and *should* be treated as an ignorable character for searching,
etc. Note that there are plenty of other characters that should be treated
as ignorable, so the applications that are broken for BOMs are broken more
generally.

-- 
David Hopwood <david.nospam.hopwood at blueyonder.co.uk>