[forgottenpass]

Python 3.0 was basically a line in the sand to throw in all these "unnecessary" breaking changes. At the end of the day, no changes are actually necessary.

But to keep Python improving without weighing itself down, some changes couldn't just be slipped into the 2.x series. Because they're fundamental enough changes to even effect toy programs.

So, yes, I'd say that the default string type did need to change from bytes to unicode. And not only do I not miss str.lowercase, that kind of vestigial feature is exactly the type of thing that should be purged with the unicode transition.