[Python-Dev] just say no...

[M.-A. Lemburg]

Tim Peters wrote:
> 
> [MAL]
> > File objects opened in text mode will use "t#" and binary
> > ones use "s#".
> 
> [Greg Stein]
> > ...
> > The real annoying thing would be to assume that opening a file as 'r'
> > means that I *meant* text mode and to start using "t#".
> 
> Isn't that exactly what MAL said would happen?  Note that a "t" flag for
> "text mode" is an MS extension -- C doesn't define "t", and Python doesn't
> either; a lone "r" has always meant text mode.

Em, I think you've got something wrong here: "t#" refers to the
parsing marker used for writing data to files opened in text mode.

Until now, all files used the "s#" parsing marker for writing
data, regardeless of being opened in text or binary mode. The
new interpretation (new, because there previously was none ;-)
of the buffer interface forces this to be changed to regain
conformance.

> > In actuality, I typically open files that way since I do most of my
> > coding on Linux. If I now have to pay attention to things and open it
> > as 'rb', then I'll be pissed.
> >
> > And the change in behavior and bugs that interpreting 'r' as text would
> > introduce? Ack!
> 
> 'r' is already intepreted as text mode, but so far, on Unix-like systems,
> there's been no difference between text and binary modes.  Introducing a
> distinction will certainly cause problems.  I don't know what the
> compensating advantages are thought to be.

I guess you won't notice any difference: strings define both
interfaces ("s#" and "t#") to mean the same thing. Only other
buffer compatible types may now fail to write to text files
-- which is not so bad, because it forces the programmer to
rethink what he really intended when opening the file in text
mode.

Besides, if you are writing portable scripts you should pay
close attention to "r" vs. "rb" anyway.

[Strange, I find myself argueing for a feature that I don't
like myself ;-)]

-- 
Marc-Andre Lemburg
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