[Python-Dev] Removing Non-Unicode Support? (original) (raw)

M.-A. Lemburg mal at egenix.com
Tue Feb 21 10:43:42 CET 2006

Jeff Rush wrote:

M.-A. Lemburg wrote:

I'd say that the parties interested in non-Unicode versions of Python should maintain these branches of Python. Dito for other stripped down versions. I understand where you're coming from but the embedded market I encounter tends to focus on the hardware side. If they can get a marketing star by grabbing Python off-the shelf, tweak the build and produce something to include with their product, they will. But if they have to maintain a branch, they'll just go with the defacto C API most such devices use. Note that this does not mean that we should forget about memory consumption issues. It's just that if there's only marginal interest in certain special builds of Python, I don't see the requirement for the Python core developers to maintain them. These requirements of customization may not be a strong case for today but could be impacting future growth of the language in certain sectors. I'm a rabid Python evangelist and alway try to push Python into more nooks and crannies of the marketplace, similar to how the Linux kernel is available from the tiniest machines to the largest iron. If the focus of Python is to be strictly a desktop, conventional (mostly ;-) language, restricting its adaptability to other less interesting environments may be a reasonable tradeoff to improve its maintainability. But adaptability, especially when you don't fully grok where or how it will be used, can also be a competitive advantage.

I don't think this is a strong enough case to warrant having to maintain a separate branch of the Python core.

Even platforms like Palm nowadays have enough RAM to cope with the 100kB or so that Unicode support adds.

-- Marc-Andre Lemburg eGenix.com

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