[Python-Dev] Proposal: from __future__ import unicode_string_literals

Jim Jewett jimjjewett at gmail.com
Mon Mar 24 17:12:25 CET 2008


> Maybe it's not apparent to people that hasn't
> developed in that kind of environment, and
> I'm sorry I'm not able to make this clearer.

I think I understand the issue.

Some contributors will be running under 2.6, others will be running under 3.0.

Either the code forks, or one of them is working with (and developing
patches against) the result of a compilation step, instead of against
the original source code.

For example, if I'm using the (real source) py2.6 code, and I create a
patch that works for me, it is ready for testing and submission.  If
I'm using the (generated) py3 code, then I first have to get a copy of
the (source) 2.6, figure out how I *would* have written it there, then
keep tweaking it so that the generator eventually puts out ... what I
had originally written by hand.

My (working in 3.0) task would be easier if there is also a 3to2 (so
that I can treat my own code as the source), but then entire files
will do flip-flops on a regular basis (depening on which version was
generated), unless 2to3 and 3to2 somehow create a perfect round-trip.

And that compile step -- it can be automated, but I suspect most
python projects don't yet have a good place to put the hooks, simply
because they haven't needed to in the past.

The end result is that the barrier to contributions becomes much
higher for people working in at least one of the versions.

-jJ


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