Re: Unicode Support


Hi Beth,

[..]
| As for taking up more memory and disk space: UTF-8 does not take up a
| single bit extra from ASCII for any ordinary ASCII characters...

??
I may have missed the point of UTF-8, I'm not through the whole book yet,
how can I display 'mathematical operators' 2200..22FF (page 193) with UTF8
??

At the moment I use ASCII 20..7F as they are and 01..1F and 80..FF
as 'my personal character-set', while 00 is used to mark the end
followed by one ore more 'format/function/more../'-bytes.

ie:
40 41 42 43
00 0a xx yz nn nn nn mm ; print/edit a numeric variable
; (type,format,action,group,address)
will print: "@ABC-33.35 x10[sup3]-6[/sup]"

00 ... ; all var-types, input, locate, colours, ... just all needs ;)
00 E0 xx.. ; conditional call substring incl. format header (menus...)
00 FE ; end of a sub-string (menu/buttons/..)
00 FF ; end of the print job


[..support..]
| Yeah, this is actually a "reverse" point on what's actually true...the
| whole purpose of UNICODE is that it _gets rid_ of all the things like "code
| page incompatibilities" once and for all...one standard character set for
| _everyone_...

Even it will be a very huge pack of patterns for _everyony_ to carry,
it may make sense to set up an international agreement of tool-makers
to a limited standard use of UTF character-sets.

| But this is the biggest problem, true...but it's a problem of "my software
| is not up-to-date with UNICODE"...yes, but isn't the point Chewy's making
| about: "let's all update things to use UNICODE from now on"?

At least, it's worth to think about it.

['Babylonian confusion']
| _THIS_ is the real problem, of course...

| BUT is this a problem that's the tool's responsibility? For instance,
| programming a protected mode OS is very confusing too...or using "direct
| access" to hardware...should tools also start telling us we can't use "LGDT
| / LIDT" or "IN / OUT" instructions too? As they might cause "Babylonian
| confusion"?

My new disassembler will show PL0/IOPL/PM/64-only instructions
as "force EXC0D/06/00.." if the mode configuration wont match.

But this aren't language issues, except Intel-manuals are written
'that' confusing, it may even native English speakers drive crazy. :)

| Or should the tools _support_ these things ...
| But why should a tool be forcing a Russian programmer, ...

Wouldn't it help a lot if the whole globe talks only one language?

A long way to go, but when I look back 50 years, the world seems
to tend to everyone learn to understand written English at least,
local US/UK/AUS pronouncation excluded here of course :)

[..]
| ... if we don't agree on that, then things become "Babylonian
| confusion" here very, very quickly, nicht wahr? ;)...

That's very true indeed*, isn't it? *)indead for the French :)

__
wolfgang


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