datetime iso8601 string input

[Magnus Lycka]

Rubic wrote:
> Yeah, it's a trivial function that's rewritten for each new project
> that passes datetime objects as strings <0.2 wink>.  On the basis of it
> being a trivial convenience, I could propose removing hundreds of
> "redundant" functions from the library.  ;-)

I think the big issue is that it solves such a microscopic part
of the convert-strings-to-datetimes problem. Believe me, I know,
I'm writing parsers for IATA timetable data now. There is a
distinct smell of punch cards, telex machines and handwritten
forms in this standard... Like writing 112233 instead of 2006-
02-11 22:33, and let the parser guess month and year from context.

If I have gotten a time into a datetime object I'll keep it there
if I'm in control. If I'm not in control, I'd be very lucky if
the string replresentation was in the One True Format.

Since I feel that the datetime module largely replaces the
older time module, I'd really like to see a strptime in the
datetime module though. Then I guess I could often drop use of
the old time module. (If it wasn't for the sad fact that we need
to support Python 2.2 a little longer...)