[Python-Dev] Import and unicode: part two

["Martin v. Löwis"]

>> I don't think anybody is *encouraging* it.  The argument is for
>> *permitting* it, partly for consistency with other identifiers, and
>> partly because of Python's usual "consenting adults" standard for
>> permitting "dangerous" practices.
> 
> I'm sorry, I was not clear. I was afraid that saying "learning
> opportunity" tempt people to try non-ASCII module names.
> In these days, even non technical people have access to Windows, Mac
> and Linux boxes at a time. So chances to be annoyed with broken
> non-ASCII named files are pretty common.

Actually, as long people only involve Windows, or only involve Mac,
it will all work just fine. It's only when they use non-Mac Unix
(such as Linux), or try to move files across systems using sub-prime
technology (such as your typical Windows zip utility) they will run
into problems. But then it will be clear whom to blame - and people
run in the same problems regardless of whether they move Python modules,
or regular files (say, Word documents).

So the more people get confronted with the poor support of non-ASCII
file names in tools, the faster the tools will improve. It took PKWARE
many years to come up with a reasonable Unicode story - but now it's
really the tools that need to catch up, not the spec.

Regards,
Martin