Re: [tlug] Re: Unicode

[simon colston <simon@example.com>]

On Sat, 12 Jul 2003 13:59:14 +0900 (JST)
Charles Muller <acmuller@example.com> wrote:

> Simon Colston wrote:
> 
> > I have to agree with this.  If you want to create a Japanese-Chinese
> > dictionary in Unicode then there need to be separate codes for each
> > character that looks the same to a Westerner's eyes but very different
> > to the Japanese and Chinese. 
> 
> I am creating such a dictionary, and I can tell you that it is *not*
> necessary to create a separate code point for every minor variation in
> character form, since these differences can easily be represented by
> font changes. 

How do you do this?  If the same document contains 2 characters with the
same code point how do you specify that one should be displayed as a
Chinese character and the other as a Japanese character?  

> > I think a lack of sensitivity to these types of
> > problem are a bigger problem than a "nationalistic" desire to have
> > one's own language look like one's own language.
> 
> There (again) seems to be a perception here that the Hanzi (Kanji)
> portion of Unicode was put together by Westerners without
> knowledge/approval of the East Asian countries. This is incorrect. 

I'm sorry if my post led you to believe that I think that.  I don't.  What
I meant by my post is that I think it is perfectly reasonable for a
Japanese person to want printed Japanese to look like Japanese always has
done and not have to compromise[1].  And I don't think that not
compromising should be interpreted as some sort of nationalistic pride.

Also, I don't think the "Japanese were involved in creating the standard
so suck it up" attitude doesn't help very much either.

As you said, compromises were made and it is also reasonable that not
everyone agrees with those compromises.  And rather than labelling these
people as unreasonable nationalistic zealots maybe we should try to accept
that they are entitled to their opinion and that maybe the problem is with
Unicode and not them.


Note:
[1] I know you said this is a font issue but I still don't understand how
you display Japanese and Chinese together and have the same code point
displayed differently.

-- 
simon colston
simon@example.com