[Python-Dev] Removal of Win32 ANSI API

[Nick Coghlan]

On Sun, Nov 14, 2010 at 10:19 AM, Antoine Pitrou <solipsis at pitrou.net> wrote:
> On Sun, 14 Nov 2010 01:06:55 +0100
> Victor Stinner <victor.stinner at haypocalc.com> wrote:
>>
>> The code is currently working. The question is if we have to drop the ANSI API
>> now, later or never.
>
> If the code is currently working and isn't a security hole, then we
> obviously don't "have to".
> Apparently several developers "want to", which is different.

We should also keep in mind that *Microsoft* have chosen to keep the
bytes Win32 APIs around, despite their flaws, all in the name of
backwards compatibility. While the goal of nudging third party
developers towards the superior Unicode APIs is an admirable one, it
is still the case that there is a *lot* of ASCII-only code out there.
E.g. applications could easily be storing filenames in an ASCII only
datastore that provides them back to the application as bytes in 3.x.

>> It looks like the decision moves to "later" (deprecate in
>> 3.2, remove in 3.3). I still think that drop now doesn't really hurt.
>
> If you drop code without first deprecating it, chances are it will
> hurt someone.  That's why having a deprecation period is the rule we
> usually follow (most of the time :-)).

Indeed.

Cheers,
Nick.

-- 
Nick Coghlan   |   ncoghlan at gmail.com   |   Brisbane, Australia