[Python-ideas] Add encoding attribute to bytes

[Greg Ewing]

Nick Coghlan wrote:

> It says a lot about Python's flexibility as a language that it applies
> so well to so many different problem domains, but it can lead to some
> interesting discussions when we try to align the interests of all those
> different ill-defined groups :)

Yes, and I think that because of this diversity of requirements,
it's very important to keep the basic building blocks of the
language as simple and focused as possible. The fundamental
types should each concentrate on doing just one thing and
doing it well.

Seems to me the bytes type is just right as it is -- basic
raw data that you can use any way you see fit. Anything more
specialised should be built by the user to suit their use
case.

-- 
Greg