note ribasushi It is the same string with the utf8 flag flipped up. As such I would expect the same bytes to be available when reading it as a "filehandle". Yet the utf8-ness (which is claimed to be an internal impl. detail all ovetr the docs) is "visible" in this case. <p>I am not sure I understand why (nor can find any relevant perldoc) 1010601 1010605