[Python-Dev] #pragmas in Python source code

[M.-A. Lemburg]

I think we should put the discussion back on track again...

We were originally talking about proposals to integrate #pragmas
into Python source. These pragmas are (for now) intended to provide
information to the Python byte code compiler, so that it can
make certain assumptions on a per file basis.

So far, there have been numerous proposals for all kinds of
declarations and decorations of files, functions, methods, etc.
As usual in Python Space, things got generalized to a point
where people forgot about the original intent ;-)

The current need for #pragmas is really very simple: to tell
the compiler which encoding to assume for the characters
in u"...strings..." (*not* "...8-bit strings..."). The idea
behind this is that programmers should be able to use other
encodings here than the default "unicode-escape" one.

Perhaps someone has a better idea on how to signify this
to the compiler ? Could be that we don't need this pragma
discussion at all if there is a different, more elegant
solution to this...

-- 
Marc-Andre Lemburg
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