[Python-3000] New io system and binary data (original) (raw)

skip at pobox.com skip at pobox.com
Wed Sep 19 22:06:03 CEST 2007 

Jason> Given the context (stdin/stdout/stderr), I'd love to know what
Jason> you're thinking of here.  I can't name a program offhand that
Jason> wants to operate on binary data via a pipeline.

You've obviously never used the netpbm (nee pbmplus, nee pbm) tools. I still use this pipeline to capture a window fairly frequently:

xwd | xwdtopnm | pnmtopng > window.png

I believe ImageMagick also operates by means of filter programs transforming binary data.

Jason> There are a few that *can*, like gzip, but my impression is that
Jason> even those aren't often used that way anymore.

Only because the true believers have been overrun by the unwashed masses who need to use a GUI as a crutch. I use g(un)?zip and b(un)?zip2 as filters all the time. It's that elegant Unix model of computing I grew up with. Lots of small tools do one thing well instead of a massively bloated tool that has a swiss army knife drawer full of options.

Skip

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