Document that bytes OS API can returns unusable results on Windows

[serhiy-storchaka]

BPO	16700
Nosy	@warsaw, @vstinner, @serhiy-storchaka, @s-t-e-v-e-n-k

^{Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.}

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GitHub fields:

assignee = None
closed_at = <Date 2020-05-31.13:31:16.120>
created_at = <Date 2012-12-16.16:58:37.361>
labels = ['easy', 'type-feature', 'OS-windows', 'docs']
title = 'Document that bytes OS API can returns unusable results on Windows'
updated_at = <Date 2020-05-31.13:31:16.119>
user = 'https://github.com/serhiy-storchaka'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2020-05-31.13:31:16.119>
actor = 'serhiy.storchaka'
assignee = 'docs@python'
closed = True
closed_date = <Date 2020-05-31.13:31:16.120>
closer = 'serhiy.storchaka'
components = ['Documentation', 'Windows']
creation = <Date 2012-12-16.16:58:37.361>
creator = 'serhiy.storchaka'
dependencies = []
files = []
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 16700
keywords = ['easy']
message_count = 8.0
messages = ['177613', '177624', '228370', '275892', '275893', '276740', '304732', '370450']
nosy_count = 5.0
nosy_names = ['barry', 'vstinner', 'docs@python', 'serhiy.storchaka', 'stevenk']
pr_nums = []
priority = 'normal'
resolution = 'out of date'
stage = 'resolved'
status = 'closed'
superseder = None
type = 'enhancement'
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue16700'
versions = ['Python 2.7']

[serhiy-storchaka]

Some OS functions which returns bytes (os.environb, os.getenvb(), os.getcwdb(), os.listdir(), os.readlink(), os.walk(), os.path.abspath(), os.path.expanduser(), os.path.expandvars(), os.path.realpath() and may be other) can return unusable result on Windows (see for example bpo-13247 and bpo-16656). The documentation should contains strong warnings about this.

[vstinner]

I don't remember il the deprecation of bytes filename is documented.

[BreamoreBoy]

As bpo-13247 has been closed "not a bug" and bpo-16656 "won't fix" shouldn't this be done sooner rather than later?

[s-t-e-v-e-n-k]

I've looked at the documentation for both Python 3.5 and 3.6, and I think this is all fine -- things like os.environb and os.getcwdb() are clearly stated as not available on Windows, and the path functions look to work fine in my testing.

[warsaw]

Thanks Steve! Closing.

[serhiy-storchaka]

Maybe this issue is outdated in 3.6 (thanks to PEP-529), but this still is a problem under 3.5 and 2.7.

[serhiy-storchaka]

This is now 2.7 only issue.

[serhiy-storchaka]

Python 2.7 is no longer supported.