[Python-3000] bytes and dicts (was: PEP 3137: Immutable Bytes and Mutable Buffer)

[Jim Jewett]

On 9/27/07, Guido van Rossum <guido at python.org> wrote:
> On 9/27/07, Jim Jewett <jimjjewett at gmail.com> wrote:

> > Should a TypeError be raised as soon as you try to put a bytes and a
> > string in the same dict, even if they don't happen to hash equal?

> Good idea, if you can figure out a way to implement this efficiently.

In news that may surprise no one, there were corner cases...

(1)  Does it have to raise the TypeError eagerly in all cases, or is
it OK to do so only when its easy?

For example, would it be OK to stop verifying once some keys have been deleted?

(2)  Is the restriction "sticky" for a dict, or based on current contents?

Current contents makes sense, but ...

If code clears an existing dict rather than creating a new one, then
that specific dict is probably a communication channel, and the API
should specify whether it takes bytes or characters.

-jJ