--- a/cwconfig.py	Mon Sep 14 18:10:20 2015 +0200
+++ b/cwconfig.py	Mon Sep 14 11:15:47 2015 +0200
@@ -180,6 +180,8 @@
                      basename, isdir, dirname, splitext)
 from warnings import warn, filterwarnings
 
+from six import text_type
+
 from logilab.common.decorators import cached, classproperty
 from logilab.common.deprecation import deprecated
 from logilab.common.logging_ext import set_log_methods, init_log
@@ -651,7 +653,7 @@
         self.adjust_sys_path()
         self.load_defaults()
         # will be properly initialized later by _gettext_init
-        self.translations = {'en': (unicode, lambda ctx, msgid: unicode(msgid) )}
+        self.translations = {'en': (text_type, lambda ctx, msgid: text_type(msgid) )}
         self._site_loaded = set()
         # don't register ReStructured Text directives by simple import, avoid pb
         # with eg sphinx.
@@ -1009,7 +1011,7 @@
         # set to true while creating an instance
         self.creating = creating
         super(CubicWebConfiguration, self).__init__(debugmode)
-        fake_gettext = (unicode, lambda ctx, msgid: unicode(msgid))
+        fake_gettext = (text_type, lambda ctx, msgid: text_type(msgid))
         for lang in self.available_languages():
             self.translations[lang] = fake_gettext
         self._cubes = None

--- a/devtools/__init__.py	Mon Sep 14 18:10:20 2015 +0200
+++ b/devtools/__init__.py	Mon Sep 14 11:15:47 2015 +0200
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
 from os.path import (abspath, realpath, join, exists, split, isabs, isdir)
 from functools import partial
 
+from six import text_type
 from six.moves import cPickle as pickle
 
 from logilab.common.date import strptime
@@ -94,7 +95,7 @@
 DEFAULT_PSQL_SOURCES = DEFAULT_SOURCES.copy()
 DEFAULT_PSQL_SOURCES['system'] = DEFAULT_SOURCES['system'].copy()
 DEFAULT_PSQL_SOURCES['system']['db-driver'] = 'postgres'
-DEFAULT_PSQL_SOURCES['system']['db-user'] = unicode(getpass.getuser())
+DEFAULT_PSQL_SOURCES['system']['db-user'] = text_type(getpass.getuser())
 DEFAULT_PSQL_SOURCES['system']['db-password'] = None
 
 def turn_repo_off(repo):
@@ -415,7 +416,7 @@
         from cubicweb.repoapi import connect
         repo = self.get_repo()
         sources = self.config.read_sources_file()
-        login  = unicode(sources['admin']['login'])
+        login  = text_type(sources['admin']['login'])
         password = sources['admin']['password'] or 'xxx'
         cnx = connect(repo, login, password=password)
         return cnx
@@ -829,14 +830,14 @@
                 found_date = False
                 for row, rowdesc in zip(rset, rset.description):
                     for cellindex, (value, vtype) in enumerate(zip(row, rowdesc)):
-                        if vtype in ('Date', 'Datetime') and type(value) is unicode:
+                        if vtype in ('Date', 'Datetime') and isinstance(value, text_type):
                             found_date = True
                             value = value.rsplit('.', 1)[0]
                             try:
                                 row[cellindex] = strptime(value, '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')
                             except Exception:
                                 row[cellindex] = strptime(value, '%Y-%m-%d')
-                        if vtype == 'Time' and type(value) is unicode:
+                        if vtype == 'Time' and isinstance(value, text_type):
                             found_date = True
                             try:
                                 row[cellindex] = strptime(value, '%H:%M:%S')

--- a/server/sources/__init__.py	Mon Sep 14 18:10:20 2015 +0200
+++ b/server/sources/__init__.py	Mon Sep 14 11:15:47 2015 +0200
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@
 from logging import getLogger
 from base64 import b64decode
 
+from six import text_type
+
 from logilab.common import configuration
 from logilab.common.deprecation import deprecated
 
@@ -139,7 +141,7 @@
         pass
 
     @classmethod
-    def check_conf_dict(cls, eid, confdict, _=unicode, fail_if_unknown=True):
+    def check_conf_dict(cls, eid, confdict, _=text_type, fail_if_unknown=True):
         """check configuration of source entity. Return config dict properly
         typed with defaults set.
         """
@@ -156,7 +158,7 @@
                 try:
                     value = configuration._validate(value, optdict, optname)
                 except Exception as ex:
-                    msg = unicode(ex) # XXX internationalization
+                    msg = text_type(ex) # XXX internationalization
                     raise ValidationError(eid, {role_name('config', 'subject'): msg})
             processed[optname] = value
         # cw < 3.10 bw compat