[Python-Dev] String encoding

[M.-A. Lemburg]

Greg Stein wrote:
> 
> On Wed, 24 May 2000, Fredrik Lundh wrote:
> > > one might of course the system encoding if the user actually calls setlocale,
> >
> > I think that was supposed to be:
> >
> >   one might of course SET the system encoding ONLY if the user actually calls setlocale,
> >
> > or something...
> 
> Bleh. Global switches are bogus. Since you can't depend on the setting,
> and you can't change it (for fear of busting something else),

Sure you can: in site.py before any other code using Unicode
gets executed.

> then you
> have to be explicit about your encoding all the time. Since you're never
> going to rely on a global encoding, then why keep it?

For the same reason you use setlocale() in C (and Python): to
make programs portable to other locales without too much
fuzz.

> This global encoding (per thread or not) just reminds me of the single
> hook for import, all over again.

Think of it as a configuration switch which is made settable
via a Python interface -- much like the optimize switch or
the debug switch (which are settable via Python APIs in mxTools).
The per-thread implementation is mainly a design question: I
think globals should always be implemented on a per-thread basis.

Hmm, I wish Guido would comment on the idea of keeping the
runtime settable encoding...

-- 
Marc-Andre Lemburg
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