add RFC 841 to add back bufferless read_to_string/read_to_end methods

Author: cburgdorf

text/0841-read_to_string_without_buffer.md

@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+- Feature Name: read_to_string_without_buffer
+- Start Date: 2015-03-13
+- RFC PR:
+- Rust Issue:
+
+# Summary
+
+Add back `read_to_string` and `read_to_end` methods to the `Read` trait that
+don't take a buffer.
+
+# Motivation
+
+While the `fn read_to_end(&mut self, buf: &mut Vec<u8>) -> Result<()>` and
+`fn read_to_string(&mut self, buf: &mut String) -> Result<()>` APIs are more
+efficient removing the APIs that don't require passing a buffer entirely comes
+at with convenience loss in some situations. In particular if one want's to
+implement a chaining API and doesn't care about efficiency.
+
+Today we either have to write this
+
+```rust
+fn get_last_commit () -> String {
+
+    let output = Command::new("git")
+                    .arg("rev-parse")
+                    .arg("HEAD")
+                    .output()
+                    .ok().expect("error invoking git rev-parse");
+
+    let encoded = String::from_utf8(output.stdout).ok().expect("error parsing output of git rev-parse");
+
+    encoded
+}```
+
+Or this:
+
+
+```rust
+fn get_last_commit () -> String {
+
+    Command::new("git")
+            .arg("rev-parse")
+            .arg("HEAD")
+            .output()
+            .map(|output| {
+                String::from_utf8(output.stdout).ok().expect("error reading into string")
+            })
+            .ok().expect("error invoking git rev-parse")
+}```
+
+But we'd like to be able to just write
+
+Or this:
+
+
+```rust
+fn get_last_commit () -> String {
+
+    Command::new("git")
+            .arg("rev-parse")
+            .arg("HEAD")
+            .spawn()
+            .ok().expect("error spawning process")
+            .stdout.read_to_string()
+            .ok().expect("error reading output")
+}```
+
+This was possible before but since there is not such `read_to_string` API
+anymore, it's currently impossible.
+
+
+# Detailed design
+
+Add back methods with following signature
+
+`fn read_to_end(&mut self) -> Result<Vec<u8>>`
+`fn read_to_string(&mut self) -> Result<String>`
+
+# Drawbacks
+
+Two more methods to maintain
+
+# Alternatives
+
+Don't do it and force users to use things like `map` for chaining
+
+# Unresolved questions
+
+None.