[Python-Dev] Why does base64 return bytes?

[Joao S. O. Bueno]

On 14 June 2016 at 13:32, Toshio Kuratomi <a.badger at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On Jun 14, 2016 8:32 AM, "Joao S. O. Bueno" <jsbueno at python.org.br> wrote:
>>
>> On 14 June 2016 at 12:19, Steven D'Aprano <steve at pearwood.info> wrote:
>> > Is there
>> > a good reason for returning bytes?
>>
>> What about: it returns 0-255 numeric values for each position in  a
>> stream, with
>> no clue whatsoever to how those values map to text characters beyond
>> the 32-128 range?
>>
>> Maybe base64.decode could take a "encoding" optional parameter - or
>> there could  be
>> a separate 'decote_to_text" method that would explicitly take a text codec
>> name.
>> Otherwise, no, you simply can't take a bunch of bytes and say they
>> represent text.
>>
> Although it's not explicit, the question seems to be about the output of
> encoding (and for symmetry, the input of decoding).  In both of those cases,
> valid output will consist only of ascii characters.
>
> The input to encoding would have to remain bytes (that's the main purpose of
> base64... to turn bytes into an ascii string).
>

Sorry, it is 2016, and I don't think at this point anyone can consider
an ASCII string
as a representative pattern of textual data in any field of application.
Bytes are not text. Bytes with an associated, meaningful, encoding are text.
  I thought this had been through when Python 3 was out.

Unless you are working with COBOL generated data (and intending to keep
the file format) , it does not make sense in any real-world field.
(supposing your
Cobol data is ASCII and nort EBCDIC).


> -Toshio