[Python-Dev] "data".decode(encoding) ?!

[Guido van Rossum]

> We already have "data".encode(encoding) which encodes the string data
> by passing it through the encoder of the given encoding.
> 
> Wouldn't it be worthwhile to add direct access to codec decoders
> through string methods as well ?
> 
> (Note that this addition only makes sense for string objects,
> since Unicode cannot be decoded.)
> 
> Also, would there be any objections adding some more standard
> codecs to the system ? I'm thinking of wrapping the binascii 
> module APIs in form of codecs...

Can you provide examples of where this can't be done using the
existing approach?

Code-bloat police anyone?

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)