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+package bytes;
+
+our $VERSION = '1.00';
+
+$bytes::hint_bits = 0x00000008;
+
+sub import {
+ $^H |= $bytes::hint_bits;
+}
+
+sub unimport {
+ $^H &= ~$bytes::hint_bits;
+}
+
+sub AUTOLOAD {
+ require "bytes_heavy.pl";
+ goto &$AUTOLOAD;
+}
+
+sub length ($);
+
+1;
+__END__
+
+=head1 NAME
+
+bytes - Perl pragma to force byte semantics rather than character semantics
+
+=head1 SYNOPSIS
+
+ use bytes;
+ no bytes;
+
+=head1 DESCRIPTION
+
+The C<use bytes> pragma disables character semantics for the rest of the
+lexical scope in which it appears. C<no bytes> can be used to reverse
+the effect of C<use bytes> within the current lexical scope.
+
+Perl normally assumes character semantics in the presence of character
+data (i.e. data that has come from a source that has been marked as
+being of a particular character encoding). When C<use bytes> is in
+effect, the encoding is temporarily ignored, and each string is treated
+as a series of bytes.
+
+As an example, when Perl sees C<$x = chr(400)>, it encodes the character
+in UTF-8 and stores it in $x. Then it is marked as character data, so,
+for instance, C<length $x> returns C<1>. However, in the scope of the
+C<bytes> pragma, $x is treated as a series of bytes - the bytes that make
+up the UTF8 encoding - and C<length $x> returns C<2>:
+
+ $x = chr(400);
+ print "Length is ", length $x, "\n"; # "Length is 1"
+ printf "Contents are %vd\n", $x; # "Contents are 400"
+ {
+ use bytes;
+ print "Length is ", length $x, "\n"; # "Length is 2"
+ printf "Contents are %vd\n", $x; # "Contents are 198.144"
+ }
+
+For more on the implications and differences between character
+semantics and byte semantics, see L<perlunicode>.
+
+=head1 SEE ALSO
+
+L<perlunicode>, L<utf8>
+
+=cut