[Python-3000] email libraries: use byte or unicode strings?

[Barry Warsaw]

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On Nov 6, 2008, at 7:09 AM, Nick Coghlan wrote:

> So here's a question (speaking as someone that has never had to go  
> near
> the email module, and is unlikely to do so anytime soon): is this
> something that should hold up the release of Python 3.0?

Not if you're like Guido and want to get 3.0 out this year. ;)

> As I see it, there are 3 options:
> 1. Hold up 3.0 until you get an API for the email package that handles
> Unicode vs bytes issues gracefully
> 2. Drop the email package entirely from 3.0, iterate on a 3.0  
> version of
> it on PyPI for a while, then add the cleaned up version in 3.1
> 3. Keep the current version (issues and all) in 3.0, with fairly  
> strong
> warnings that the API may change in 3.1

At this point I think our only option is essentially 3, keep what we  
have warts and all.  When the precursor to the email package was being  
developed (at that time, called mimelib), it was initially done as a  
separate package and only folded into core when it was stable and  
fairly widely used.

For email-ng (or whatever we call it) we should follow the same  
guidelines.  Eventually email-ng will be folded back into the core and  
will replace the current email package.

- -Barry

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