[Python-Dev] Python and the Unicode Character Database

["Martin v. Löwis"]

> Because we all know how locale is a pile of cr*p, both in specification
> and in implementations. Our unit tests for it are a clear proof of that.

I wouldn't use expletives, but rather claim that the locale module is
highly platform-dependent.

> Actually, I remember you saying that locale should ideally be replaced
> with a wrapper around the ICU library.

By that, I stand - however, I have given up the hope that this will
happen anytime soon.

Wrt. to local number parsing, I think that the locale module would be
way better than the nonsense that Python currently does. In the locale
module, somebody at least has thought about what specifically
constitutes a number. The current not-ASCII-but-not-local-either
approach is just useless.

Maintaining a reasonable implementation is a burden, so deferring
to the C library is more attractive than having to maintain an
unreasonable implementation.

Regards,
Martin