[Python-Dev] open(): set the default encoding to 'utf-8' in Python 3.3?

Tue Jun 28 20:55:02 CEST 2011

Michael Foord wrote:
> On 28/06/2011 17:34, Terry Reedy wrote:
>> On 6/28/2011 10:48 AM, Michael Foord wrote:
>>> On 28/06/2011 15:36, Terry Reedy wrote:
>>>>>> S = open('myfile.txt').read()
>>>> now return a text string in both Py2 and Py3 and a subsequent
>>>> 'abc' in S
>>>> works in both.
>>>>>> Nope, it returns a bytestring in Python 2.
>>>> Which, in Py2 is a str() object. 
>> Yes, but not a "text string". The equivalent of the Python 2 str in 
> Python 3 is bytes. Irrelevant discussion anyway.

Irrelevant to the OP, yes, but a Python 2 string *is not* the same as 
Python 3 bytes. If you don't believe me fire up your Python 3 shell and 
try b'xyz'[1] == 'y'.
~Ethan~