[Python-Dev] PEP 393 Summer of Code Project

[Guido van Rossum]

On Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 1:09 AM, Glenn Linderman <v+python at g.nevcal.com> wrote:
> So from reading all this discussion, I think this point is rather a key
> one... and it has been made repeatedly in different ways:  Arrays are not
> suitable for manipulating Unicode character sequences, and the str type is
> an array with a veneer of text manipulation operations, which do not, and
> cannot, by themselves, efficiently implement Unicode character sequences.

I think this is too strong. The str type is indeed an array, and you
can build useful Unicode manipulation APIs on top of it. Just like
bytes are not UTF-8, but can be used to represent UTF-8 and a
fully-compliant UTF-8 codec can be implemented on top of it.

-- 
--Guido van Rossum (python.org/~guido)