[Python-ideas] Proposal for default character representation

[Thomas Nyberg]

On 10/12/2016 07:13 PM, Mikhail V wrote:
> On 12 October 2016 at 23:50, Thomas Nyberg <tomuxiong at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Since when was decimal notation "standard"?
> Depends on what planet do you live. I live on planet Earth. And you?

If you mean that decimal notation is the standard used for _counting_ by 
people, then yes of course that is standard. But decimal notation 
certainly is not standard in this domain.

>> opposite. For unicode representations, byte notation seems standard.
> How does this make it a good idea?
> Consider unicode table as an array with glyphs.
> Now the index of the array is suddenly represented in some
> obscure character set. How this index is other than index of any
> array or natural number? Think about it...

Hexadecimal notation is hardly "obscure", but yes I understand that 
fewer people understand it than decimal notation. Regardless, byte 
notation seems standard for unicode and unless you can convince the 
unicode community at large to switch, I don't think it makes any sense 
for python to switch. Sometimes it's better to go with the flow even if 
you don't want to.

>>> 2. Mixing of two notations (hex and decimal) is a _very_ bad idea,
>>> I hope no need to explain why.
>>
>> Still not sure which "mixing" you refer to.
>
> Still not sure? These two words in brackets. Mixing those two systems.
>

There is not mixing for unicode in python; it displays as hexadecimal. 
Decimal is used in other places though. So if by "mixing" you mean 
python should not use the standard notations of subdomains when working 
with those domains, then I would totally disagree. The language used in 
different disciplines is and has always been variable. Until that's no 
longer true it's better to stick with convention than add inconsistency 
which will be much more confusing in the long-term than learning the 
idiosyncrasies of a specific domain (in this case the use of hexadecimal 
in the unicode world).

Cheers,
Thomas