Re: Japan opposes any proposals with UNICODE is the only

From: mary ink (maryink@hotmail.com)
Date: Thu Apr 27 2000 - 07:27:25 EDT


>From: Markus Kuhn <Markus.Kuhn@cl.cam.ac.uk>

>It is actually all very simple:
>
>For some obscure historical reasons and misunderstandings, "Unicode" is
>a taboo word in Japan. Simply replace in everything you say to Japanese
>people the word "Unicode" by "JIS X 0221", and your problem is solved.
>The two are technically the same, but the later is a Japanese National
>Standard and therefore it is the only politically correct way of talking
>to Japanese geeks about character sets.
>
>Try it, you will definitely be surprised how good this works ... !
>
>Markus

This is the kind of patronizing tone that Unicode developers and champions
should do their best to avoid. If programmers and the public at large in CJK
and other countries are resistant to Unicode for unfounded reasons, the
Unicode consortium should be doing a better job of explaining itself
publicly. Huffily dismissing criticism that has "already been hashed out
here many times" or calling objectors "Japanese geeks" doesn't really
present a friendly face to the end user who may have legitimate cultural
objections to how the code has been created and implemented, as well as
technical concerns that need to be addressed.

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