[Python-Dev] Adding .decode() method to Unicode

[Paul Prescod]

Greg Ewing wrote:
> 
> > -1 on anything except a PEP that covers *all* aspects of
> > encode/decode (including things that are already implemented)
> 
> Particularly, it should clearly explain why we need a
> completely new and separate namespace mechanism for these
> codec things, 

I don't know whether MAL will write the PEP or not but the rationale for
a new namespace is trivial. The namespace exists and is maintained by
the Internet Assigned Names Association. You can't work with Unicode
without working with names from this list:

  http://www.iana.org/assignments/character-sets

MAL is basically exending it to include names from this list:

  http://www.iana.org/assignments/transfer-encodings

and others.

> and provide a firm rationale for deciding
> whether any proposed new form of encoding or decoding
> should be placed in this namespace or the module namespace.

*My* answer would be that any function that has strings (8-bit or
Unicode) as both domain and range is potentially a codec.
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