--- src/org/python/modules/_codecs.java	Sat Aug 11 11:47:13 MSD 2007
+++ src/org/python/modules/_codecs.java	Sat Aug 11 11:47:13 MSD 2007
@@ -44,6 +44,13 @@
         });
     }
 
+    private static PyTuple decode_tuple_ascii(String s, int len) {
+        return new PyTuple(new PyObject[] {
+            new PyString(s),
+            Py.newInteger(len)
+        });
+    }
+
     private static PyTuple encode_tuple(String s, int len) {
         return new PyTuple(new PyObject[] {
             Py.java2py(s),
@@ -100,7 +107,7 @@
     }
 
     public static PyTuple escape_decode(String str, String errors) {
-        return decode_tuple(PyString.decode_UnicodeEscape(str,
+        return decode_tuple_ascii(PyString.decode_UnicodeEscape(str,
                                                           0,
                                                           str.length(),
                                                           errors,
--- src/org/python/core/codecs.java	Sat Aug 11 11:47:14 MSD 2007
+++ src/org/python/core/codecs.java	Sat Aug 11 11:47:14 MSD 2007
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@
 
 
 
-    public static String decode(PyString v, String encoding,
+    public static PyObject decode(PyString v, String encoding,
                                   String errors)
     {
         if (encoding == null) {
@@ -145,8 +145,8 @@
 
         /* Shortcut for ascii encoding */
         if (encoding.equals("ascii")) {
-            return PyUnicode_DecodeASCII(v.toString(),
-                                                      v.__len__(), errors);
+            return new PyUnicode(PyUnicode_DecodeASCII(v.toString(),
+                                                      v.__len__(), errors));
         }
 
         /* Decode via the codec registry */
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@
             throw Py.TypeError("decoder must return a tuple " +
                                "(object,integer)");
         }
-        return result.__getitem__(0).toString();
+        return result.__getitem__(0);
     }
 
 
--- src/templates/unicode.expose	Sat Aug 11 11:47:15 MSD 2007
+++ src/templates/unicode.expose	Sat Aug 11 11:47:15 MSD 2007
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 expose_meth: :u capitalize
 expose_meth: :u center i
 expose_meth: :i count s i? i?
-expose_meth: :u decode s? s?
+expose_meth: decode s? s?
 expose_meth: :s encode s? s?
 expose_meth: :b endswith s i? i?
 expose_meth: :u expandtabs i?
--- src/org/python/core/PyUnicode.java	Sat Aug 11 11:47:16 MSD 2007
+++ src/org/python/core/PyUnicode.java	Sat Aug 11 11:47:16 MSD 2007
@@ -360,7 +360,7 @@
 
             public PyObject __call__(PyObject arg0,PyObject arg1) {
                 try {
-                    return new PyUnicode(((PyUnicode)self).unicode_decode(arg0.asString(0),arg1.asString(1)));
+                    return((PyUnicode)self).unicode_decode(arg0.asString(0),arg1.asString(1));
                 } catch (PyObject.ConversionException e) {
                     String msg;
                     switch (e.index) {
@@ -377,7 +377,7 @@
 
             public PyObject __call__(PyObject arg0) {
                 try {
-                    return new PyUnicode(((PyUnicode)self).unicode_decode(arg0.asString(0)));
+                    return((PyUnicode)self).unicode_decode(arg0.asString(0));
                 } catch (PyObject.ConversionException e) {
                     String msg;
                     switch (e.index) {
@@ -392,7 +392,7 @@
             }
 
             public PyObject __call__() {
-                return new PyUnicode(((PyUnicode)self).unicode_decode());
+                return((PyUnicode)self).unicode_decode();
             }
 
         }
@@ -1482,7 +1482,7 @@
                 return new PyUnicode( (String)S.__tojava__(String.class) );
             }
             if (S instanceof PyString) {
-                return new PyUnicode(codecs.decode((PyString)S, encoding, errors));
+                return new PyUnicode(codecs.decode((PyString)S, encoding, errors).toString());
             }
             return S.__unicode__();
         } else {
@@ -1815,15 +1815,15 @@
         return str_encode(encoding, errors);
     }
 
-    final String unicode_decode() {
+    final PyObject unicode_decode() {
         return str_decode();
     }
 
-    final String unicode_decode(String encoding) {
+    final PyObject unicode_decode(String encoding) {
         return str_decode(encoding);
     }
 
-    final String unicode_decode(String encoding, String errors) {
+    final PyObject unicode_decode(String encoding, String errors) {
         return str_decode(encoding, errors);
     }
     
--- src/org/python/core/PyString.java	Sat Aug 11 11:47:17 MSD 2007
+++ src/org/python/core/PyString.java	Sat Aug 11 11:47:17 MSD 2007
@@ -449,7 +449,7 @@
 
             public PyObject __call__(PyObject arg0,PyObject arg1) {
                 try {
-                    return new PyUnicode(((PyString)self).str_decode(arg0.asString(0),arg1.asString(1)));
+                    return((PyString)self).str_decode(arg0.asString(0),arg1.asString(1));
                 } catch (PyObject.ConversionException e) {
                     String msg;
                     switch (e.index) {
@@ -466,7 +466,7 @@
 
             public PyObject __call__(PyObject arg0) {
                 try {
-                    return new PyUnicode(((PyString)self).str_decode(arg0.asString(0)));
+                    return((PyString)self).str_decode(arg0.asString(0));
                 } catch (PyObject.ConversionException e) {
                     String msg;
                     switch (e.index) {
@@ -481,7 +481,7 @@
             }
 
             public PyObject __call__() {
-                return new PyUnicode(((PyString)self).str_decode());
+                return((PyString)self).str_decode();
             }
 
         }
@@ -3571,27 +3571,27 @@
         return codecs.encode(this, encoding, errors);
     }
 
-    public String decode() {
+    public PyObject decode() {
         return str_decode();
     }
 
-    final String str_decode() {
+    final PyObject str_decode() {
         return str_decode(null, null); // xxx
     }
 
-    public String decode(String encoding) {
+    public PyObject decode(String encoding) {
         return str_decode(encoding);
     }
 
-    final String str_decode(String encoding) {
+    final PyObject str_decode(String encoding) {
         return str_decode(encoding, null);
     }
 
-    public String decode(String encoding, String errors) {
+    public PyObject decode(String encoding, String errors) {
         return str_decode(encoding, errors);
     }
 
-    final String str_decode(String encoding, String errors) {
+    final PyObject str_decode(String encoding, String errors) {
         return codecs.decode(this, encoding, errors);
     }
 
--- src/templates/str.expose	Sat Aug 11 11:47:18 MSD 2007
+++ src/templates/str.expose	Sat Aug 11 11:47:18 MSD 2007
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 expose_meth: :s capitalize
 expose_meth: :s center i
 expose_meth: :i count s i? i?
-expose_meth: :u decode s? s?
+expose_meth: decode s? s?
 expose_meth: :s encode s? s?
 expose_meth: :b endswith s i? i?
 expose_meth: :s expandtabs i?