[Python-Dev] Unicode 5.1.0

[Guido van Rossum]

On Mon, Aug 25, 2008 at 10:52 AM, Benjamin Peterson
<musiccomposition at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Mon, Aug 25, 2008 at 12:34 PM, Barry Warsaw <barry at python.org> wrote:
>> On Aug 21, 2008, at 6:30 PM, Terry Reedy wrote:
>>>
>>> http://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode5.1.0/
>>> "Unicode 5.1.0 contains over 100,000 characters, and provides significant
>>> additions and improvements..." to existing features, including new files and
>>> upgrades to existing files.  Sounds close to adding features ;-)
>>
>> I agree.  This seriously feels like new, potentially high risk code to be
>> adding this late in the game.  The BDFL can always override, but unless
>> someone is really convincing that this is low risk high benefit, I'd vote no
>> for 2.6/3.0.
>
> +1
>
> Something I think we should also be considering is the 2.7/3.1 release
> cycle. I propose that we shorten it to ~1 year from 2.6/3.0's release
> with our main aim being binding 2.x and 3.x more closely. This would
> get the new unicode features out fairly quickly without having to wait
> another 2.5 years like 2.5 -> 2.6.

I was never proposing to support any new features in 2.6/3.0. I was
only proposing to update the data files that we already support to the
versions provided by 5.1.0. Those data files should have the same
format, just slightly improved content: some new characters, some
corrected properties. Fredrik says it best:

> at least two Unicode experts have stated that they don't think the changes
> are that important.  determining exactly what the changes to the *core*
> character database was the whole point of my offer to tinker with this.
>
> (I got distracted due to compiler issues and certain other things to be
> announced later, but I expect to have some results later this week).

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