small cleanups in Unicode normalization code

[gnprice]

BPO	38043
Nosy	@rhettinger, @benjaminp, @ezio-melotti, @gnprice
PRs	bpo-38043: Use bool for boolean flags on is_normalized_quickcheck. #15711 bpo-38043: Move unicodedata.normalize tests into test_unicodedata. #15712 bpo-37966: Fully implement the UAX #15 quick-check algorithm. #15558

^{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 = None
created_at = <Date 2019-09-06.04:46:54.216>
labels = ['3.9', 'expert-unicode']
title = 'small cleanups in Unicode normalization code'
updated_at = <Date 2019-09-10.19:31:45.964>
user = 'https://github.com/gnprice'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2019-09-10.19:31:45.964>
actor = 'rhettinger'
assignee = 'none'
closed = False
closed_date = None
closer = None
components = ['Unicode']
creation = <Date 2019-09-06.04:46:54.216>
creator = 'Greg Price'
dependencies = []
files = []
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 38043
keywords = ['patch']
message_count = 4.0
messages = ['351229', '351373', '351600', '351740']
nosy_count = 4.0
nosy_names = ['rhettinger', 'benjamin.peterson', 'ezio.melotti', 'Greg Price']
pr_nums = ['15711', '15712', '15558']
priority = 'normal'
resolution = None
stage = 'patch review'
status = 'open'
superseder = None
type = None
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue38043'
versions = ['Python 3.9']

[gnprice]

Benjamin noticed in reviewing #59763 (for bpo-37966) several points where the existing code around Unicode normalization can be improved:

• on the QuickcheckResult enum:

  Maybe makeunicodedata.py should output this enum (with better name namespacing)

• merging test_normalization into this file [i.e. test_unicodedata.py] for clarity

• These "boolean int" parameters could be actual bools. [sc. the nfc and k parameters to is_normalized_quickcheck]

None of these are super hard, so good to knock them out while we're thinking of them.

[benjaminp]

New changeset 7669cb8 by Benjamin Peterson (Greg Price) in branch 'master':
bpo-38043: Use bool for boolean flags on is_normalized_quickcheck. (GH-15711)
7669cb8

[benjaminp]

New changeset 1ad0c77 by Benjamin Peterson (Greg Price) in branch 'master':
bpo-38043: Move unicodedata.normalize tests into test_unicodedata. (GH-15712)
1ad0c77

[rhettinger]

This is mostly harmless but I'm concerned that we're encouraging a new Python developer to:

• churn code in mostly minor ways, irrelevant to users

• altering code long known to be stable, increasing
  the risk of introducing new bugs or performance changes

• altering code in ways that are atypical for our
  code base (i.e. the bool type isn't a norm in our
  code, we mostly use int for that)

• altering code without communicating with the developer
  who originally wrote that code (if they are still active)

• consuming the time of reviewers when they could be working
  on known bugs, legitimate feature requests, or documentation

• one-off or drive-by code alterations rather that what
  Guido calls "holistic refactoring" where we do clean-ups
  while understanding and thinking about the module as a
  whole and focusing on the user experience.

• unfortunately, making lots of random, minor changes to
  a code base in a major project is an addictive experience
  and IMO it would be best to re-channel it early, particularly
  if the changes are motivated by "I like my style of coding
  more than that of the original contributor". Style changes
  are highly subjective and usually we defer to the original
  contributor who was closest to the problem being solved.