[Python-3000] New io system and binary data

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    Jason> Given the context (stdin/stdout/stderr), I'd love to know what
    Jason> you're thinking of here.  I can't name a program offhand that
    Jason> wants to operate on binary data via a pipeline.

You've obviously never used the netpbm (nee pbmplus, nee pbm) tools.  I
still use this pipeline to capture a window fairly frequently:

    xwd | xwdtopnm | pnmtopng > window.png

I believe ImageMagick also operates by means of filter programs transforming
binary data.

    Jason> There are a few that *can*, like gzip, but my impression is that
    Jason> even those aren't often used that way anymore.

Only because the true believers have been overrun by the unwashed masses who
need to use a GUI as a crutch.  I use g(un)?zip and b(un)?zip2 as filters
all the time.  It's that elegant Unix model of computing I grew up with.
Lots of small tools do one thing well instead of a massively bloated tool
that has a swiss army knife drawer full of options.

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