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matz: You will have chars and each_chars along with other M17N functionality. I wanted merge it before RubyConf (to show Tim Bray working code), but regretfully failed.

He goes on to explain how having symbols inherit from strings is part of that master plan, to ensure symbols know their encoding and everything jives nation-to-nation. Heal the world, make it a better place and all that. (Also see here in the comments for a big list of pros + cons.)