[Python-Dev] Why does base64 return bytes? (original) (raw)

Joao S. O. Bueno jsbueno at python.org.br
Tue Jun 14 13:05:19 EDT 2016

On 14 June 2016 at 13:32, Toshio Kuratomi <a.badger at gmail.com> wrote:

On Jun 14, 2016 8:32 AM, "Joao S. O. Bueno" <jsbueno at python.org.br> wrote:

On 14 June 2016 at 12:19, Steven D'Aprano <steve at pearwood.info> wrote: > Is there > a good reason for returning bytes? What about: it returns 0-255 numeric values for each position in a stream, with no clue whatsoever to how those values map to text characters beyond the 32-128 range? Maybe base64.decode could take a "encoding" optional parameter - or there could be a separate 'decotetotext" method that would explicitly take a text codec name. Otherwise, no, you simply can't take a bunch of bytes and say they represent text. Although it's not explicit, the question seems to be about the output of encoding (and for symmetry, the input of decoding). In both of those cases, valid output will consist only of ascii characters. The input to encoding would have to remain bytes (that's the main purpose of base64... to turn bytes into an ascii string).

Sorry, it is 2016, and I don't think at this point anyone can consider an ASCII string as a representative pattern of textual data in any field of application. Bytes are not text. Bytes with an associated, meaningful, encoding are text. I thought this had been through when Python 3 was out.

Unless you are working with COBOL generated data (and intending to keep the file format) , it does not make sense in any real-world field. (supposing your Cobol data is ASCII and nort EBCDIC).

-Toshio

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