[Python-Dev] How about braindead Unicode "compression"?

[Tim Peters]

[Tim]
>> Previous objections to compression were, as far as I could
>> tell, based on fear of elaborate schemes that rendered the code
>> unreadable and the access code excruciating.  But if we can get
>> more than a factor of 3 with little work and one new uniform
>> indirection, do people still object?

[M.-A. Lemburg]
> Oh, there was no fear about making the code unreadable...
> Christian and Fredrik were both working on smart schemes.
> My only objection about these was missing documentation
> and generation tools -- vast tables of completely random
> looking byte data are unreadable ;-)

OK, you weren't afraid of making the code unreadable, but you did object to
making it unreadable.  Got it <wink>.  My own view is that the C data table
source code "should be" generated by a straightforward Python program
chewing over the unicode.org data files.  But since that's the correct view,
I'm sure it's yours too.

>> If nobody objects by the end of today, I intend to do it.

> +1 from here.

/F and I talked about it offline.  We'll do *something* before the day is
done, and I suspect everyone will be happy.  Waiting for a superb scheme has
thus far stopped us from making any improvements at all, and at this late
point a Big Crude Yet Delicate Hammer is looking mighty attractive.

petitely y'rs  - tim