HACKING

This project has a couple of sticky bits that need to be kept in mind during
any development.

First, the bulk of the code is written as Mako templates,
which render to Cython source code. This allows us to deal with massive
amounts of duplicated code (due to the many different cipher modes, hashes,
macs, etc., which all have their own functions).

Second, bytes/unicode. Function which perform cryptographic operations will
always accept bytes, however due to automatic coersion Python 2 will also
allow for unicode inputs. This is not a problem. The tricky parts come with
specifications of algorithm names, as we want the developer to be able to use
"native" strings (bytes in Python 2, unicode in Python 3). Most instances
should be noted as source comments.

Third, testing. Doctests are written for Python 3 syntax. Doctests will
automatically be adjusted to comply with the representation of bytes
(essentially the removal of the b prefix that is required in Python 3).

Good luck!