From: Michael Everson (everson@evertype.com)
Date: Thu Sep 25 2003 - 13:23:10 EDT
At 08:33 -0700 2003-09-25, John Hudson wrote:
>Unicode is an encoding standard for text on computers that allows
>documents in any script and language to be entered, stored, edited
>and exchanged.
>>blank stare from layman<<
>I think it is best to relate the description to what the layman
>does: he types things, and he edits them and he sends them to other
>laymen. The 'big font' thing is a really bad idea because it is
>completely inaccurate: that's not informing the layman in terms he
>understands, that's misleading him.
Only if you don't follow it up with a second sentence.
>I also think it is a good idea to include the word 'encoding',
>because if the rest of one's description is simple it can be a
>useful way to plant new terminology in someone's head.
Honestly it depends what kind of layman you are talking to. Many's
the time I was beavering away on some proposal or other down the pub,
and have been accosted with a "what are you doing?"....
-- Michael Everson * * Everson Typography * * http://www.evertype.com
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