[Python-Dev] Re: [I18n-sig] Re: Unicode debate

[Tim Peters]

[Guido]
> When *comparing* 8-bit and Unicode strings, the presence of non-ASCII
> bytes in either should make the comparison fail; when ordering is
> important, we can make an arbitrary choice e.g. "\377" < u"\200".

[Toby]
> I assume 'fail' means 'non-equal', rather than 'raises an exception'?

[Guido]
> Yes, sorry for the ambiguity.

Huh!  You sure about that?  If we're setting up a case where meaningful
comparison is impossible, isn't an exception more appropriate?  The current

>>> 83479278 < "42"
1
>>>

probably traps more people than it helps.