[Python-Dev] PEP 263 -- Python Source Code Encoding

[Skip Montanaro]

    >> Python uses the 7-bit ASCII character set for program text and string
    >> literals.  8-bit characters may be used in string literals and
    >> comments but their interpretation is platform dependent; the proper
    >> way to insert 8-bit characters in string literals is by using octal
    >> or hexadecimal escape sequences.

    mal> It's a fact of life that users don't read reference manuals, but
    mal> simply write programs and feel good if they happen to work :-)

Perhaps a warning should be emitted by the compiler if a plain string
literal is found that contains 8-bit characters.  Better yet, perhaps Neal
can add this to PyChecker if he hasn't already...

Skip