Due to network problems, I can read mail at cowan@ccil.org, but
can't post/reply/send from there. Please direct all private replies
to cowan@ccil.org , not the HotMail address. Thanks.
Kenneth Whistler wrote:
> The currently
> active proposal is called the "Plane 14" proposal,
> and has been in active discussion between the UTC
> and members of the IETF.
How can I get a copy of this proposal? I find it
quite reasonable as you describe it, EXCEPT:
> 3. Rather than introducing a completely generic public
> tag scheme, with a path characters, reversed domain
> names, and then arbitrary tags per domain, we concluded
> that there was really only a clamor for a couple of
> kinds of tags: language tags and character source set
> tags. Maybe one or two others might be useful. So we
> introduced particular tag types rather than a completely
> open mechanism.
I think this illustrates a great lack of foresight.
As Michael Everson has said several times, 10646 should
last for centuries: if people have only clamored for
two types of tags so far, that is because we are
essentially in the pre-implementation phase still.
When Unicode/10646 is really pervasive, new types of
meta-information will be popping out of the woodwork,
and at that point we will have three choices:
1) retrofit a registry scheme, grandfathering
whatever tags are de facto in use;
2) use the slow, slow process of amendment to
get more "particular tag types" embedded in the
character set;
3) breathe a sigh of relief, because we PLANNED AHEAD
by making sure that an open tag-creation
mechanism existed from Day 0.
Unicode is a brilliant example of what can be done
if we don't plan too conservatively. Having a few
kinds of tags violates the "Zero-One-Many" design
pattern ("Allow none of, one of, or as many as
possible of a given thing", roughly speaking).
I urge the UTC, or the members of it present on this
mailing list, to consider this point. I will be happy
to make this a formal submission if someone will tell
me how to go about it.
-- John Cowan cowan@ccil.org e'osai ko sarji la lojbanJohn Cowan cowan@ccil.org Please do not use "Reply" e'osai ko sarji la lojban. _______________________________________________________ Get Private Web-Based Email Free http://www.hotmail.com
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