[Python-Dev] Internal representation of strings and Micropython

[Terry Reedy]

On 6/4/2014 3:41 AM, Jeff Allen wrote:
> Jython uses UTF-16 internally -- probably the only sensible choice in a
> Python that can call Java. Indexing is O(N), fundamentally. By
> "fundamentally", I mean for those strings that have not yet noticed that
> they contain no supplementary (>0xffff) characters.
>
> I've toyed with making this O(1) universally. Like Steven, I understand
> this to be a freedom afforded to implementers, rather than an issue of
> conformity.
>
> Jeff Allen
>
> On 04/06/2014 02:17, Steven D'Aprano wrote:
>> There is a discussion over at MicroPython about the internal
>> representation of Unicode strings.
> ...
>> My own feeling is that O(1) string indexing operations are a quality of
>> implementation issue, not a deal breaker to call it a Python. I can't
>> see any requirement in the docs that str[n] must take O(1) time, but
>> perhaps I have missed something.
>>
>


-- 
Terry Jan Reedy