[Python-ideas] os.path.isbinary

[Oleg Broytman]

On Wed, Jul 31, 2013 at 10:40:03AM -0500, Ryan <rymg19 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Here's something more interesting than my shlex idea.
> 
> os.path is, pretty much, the Python FS toolbox, along with shutil. But, there's one feature missing: check if a file is binary. It isn't hard, see http://code.activestate.com/recipes/173220/. But, writing 50 lines of code for a more common task isn't really Python-ish.
> 
> So...
> 
> What if os.path had a binary checker that works just like isfile:
> os.path.isbinary('/nothingness/is/eternal') # Returns boolean

   What is a binary file? Would Russian text in koi8-r encoding be
considered binary? What about utf-16? UTF16-encoded files have many
zero characters. UTF32-encoded have even more.

Oleg.
-- 
     Oleg Broytman            http://phdru.name/            phd at phdru.name
           Programmers don't die, they just GOSUB without RETURN.