[Python-Dev] Fwd: PEP 467: Minor API improvements for bytes & bytearray

[Chris Barker]

On Sun, Aug 17, 2014 at 2:41 PM, Barry Warsaw <barry at python.org> wrote:

> I think the biggest API "problem" is that default iteration returns
> integers
> instead of bytes.  That's a real pain.
>

what is really needed for this NOT to be a pain is a byte scalar.

numpy has a scalar type for every type it supports -- this is a GOOD THING
(tm):

In [53]: a = np.array((3,4,5), dtype=np.uint8)

In [54]: a
Out[54]: array([3, 4, 5], dtype=uint8)

In [55]: a[1]
Out[55]: 4

In [56]: type(a[1])
Out[56]: numpy.uint8

In [57]: a[1].shape
Out[57]: ()


The lack of a  character type is a major source of "type errors" in python
(the whole list of strings vs a single string problem -- both return a
sequence when you index into them or iterate over them)

Anyway, the character ship has long since sailed, but maybe a byte scalar
would be a good idea?

And FWIW, I think the proposal does make for a better, cleaner API.

Whether that's worth the deprecation is not clear to me, though as someone
whose been on the verge of making the leap to 3.* for ages, this isn't
going to make any difference.

-Chris


-- 

Christopher Barker, Ph.D.
Oceanographer

Emergency Response Division
NOAA/NOS/OR&R            (206) 526-6959   voice
7600 Sand Point Way NE   (206) 526-6329   fax
Seattle, WA  98115       (206) 526-6317   main reception

Chris.Barker at noaa.gov
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/attachments/20140818/5f95da6d/attachment.html>