[Python-Dev] Import and unicode: part two (original) (raw)

"Martin v. Löwis" martin at v.loewis.de
Sat Jan 22 00:50:33 CET 2011

I don't think anybody is encouraging it. The argument is for permitting it, partly for consistency with other identifiers, and partly because of Python's usual "consenting adults" standard for permitting "dangerous" practices. I'm sorry, I was not clear. I was afraid that saying "learning opportunity" tempt people to try non-ASCII module names. In these days, even non technical people have access to Windows, Mac and Linux boxes at a time. So chances to be annoyed with broken non-ASCII named files are pretty common.

Actually, as long people only involve Windows, or only involve Mac, it will all work just fine. It's only when they use non-Mac Unix (such as Linux), or try to move files across systems using sub-prime technology (such as your typical Windows zip utility) they will run into problems. But then it will be clear whom to blame - and people run in the same problems regardless of whether they move Python modules, or regular files (say, Word documents).

So the more people get confronted with the poor support of non-ASCII file names in tools, the faster the tools will improve. It took PKWARE many years to come up with a reasonable Unicode story - but now it's really the tools that need to catch up, not the spec.

Regards, Martin

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