title: python array element prefixed with 'u'
body: <p>I have a function using popen() that returns stdout as an array.</p>
  
  <p>using Python3 the arrays are returned correctly, but under python 2.7 each element is prefixed with a 'u'</p>
  
  <pre><code>def exe(cmd):
      from subprocess import Popen, PIPE, STDOUT
      p = Popen(cmd, shell=True, stdin=PIPE, stdout=PIPE, stderr=STDOUT, close_fds=True)
      arr = p.stdout.read().decode().split("\n")
      print(arr)
      del arr[-1]
      if(arr[0]=='not found.'): arr = [];
      return arr
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>[u'10-000801d5a12d', u'']</p>
  
  <p>Where is this 'u' coming from and how do I prevent it ?</p>