[Python-ideas] Support WHATWG versions of legacy encodings

[Terry Reedy]

On 1/31/2018 6:15 PM, Chris Barker wrote:

> I still have no idea why there is such resistance to this [spelling corrected]

Every proposal should be resisted to the extent of requiring clarity, 
consideration of alternatives, and sufficient justification.

> yes, it's a fairly small benefit over a package on PyPi, [spelling corrected]

So why move *this* code?  The clash with flake8 is an issue between the 
package and flake8 and is irrelevant to adding it to the stdlib.  Every 
feature on PyPi would be more convenient for at least a few people if 
moved.  Why specifically this package, more than a couple hundred 
others?  Our current position is that most anything on PyPI should stay 
there.

> but there is also virtually no downside.

All changes, and especially feature additions, have a downside, as has 
been explained by Steven D'Aprano more than once.  M.-A. Lemburg already 
summarized his view of the specifics for this issue.  And see below.

> (I'm assuming the OP (or someone) will do all the actual work of coding 
> and updating docs....)

At least one core developer has to *volunteer* to review, likely edit or 
request edits, merge, and *take responsibility* for the consequences of 
the PR.  At minimum, there is the opportunity cost of the core developer 
not making some other improvement, which some might see as more valuable.

> Practicality Beats Purity -- and this is a practical solution.

It is an ugly hack, which also has practical problems.

Here is the full applicable quote from Tim's Zen:

Special cases aren't special enough to break the rules.
Although practicality beats purity.

I take this to mean that normal special cases are not special enough but 
some special special cases are.  The meta meaning is that decisions are 
not mechanical and require tradeoffs, and that people will honestly 
disagree in close cases.

-- 
Terry Jan Reedy