[Python-3000] Immutable bytes -- looking for volunteer

[Travis Oliphant]

Guido van Rossum wrote:
> This may have passed in a thread where no-one was listening, so I'm
> repeating it here.
> 
> I'm considering the following option: bytes would always be immutable,
> and for the few places (mostly in io.py) where a mutable bytes buffer
> would be handy, we use the array module. Then it would also make sense
> to make b[0] return a bytes array of length 1 instead of a small int
> -- bytes would be more similar to str in 2.x, albeit completely
> incompatible with str in terms of mixed operations.

If it is decided to make bytes immutable (which sounds good to me), 
then I want to add my voice to those that clamor for an additional 
mutable object capable of allocating chunks of memory.

This object should have a C-API and have it's structure exposed to 
extension module writers (thus array.array does not fit the bill -- but 
might be a prototype if some of it is moved over to the Objects 
directory and given an API).

-Travis Oliphant