From: Doug Ewell (doug@ewellic.org)
Date: Sat Jan 10 2009 - 22:54:58 CST
Peter Constable <petercon at microsoft dot com> wrote:
>> So we could see sounds, video clips, program instructions, data,
>> anything, and as long as they are being interchanged publicly as
>> plain text, there will be a strong motivation to encode them in the
>> UCS, and arguments against encoding them will be deemed
>> inappropriate.
>
> Well, that's a bit silly, given that everyone indicating support for
> this set has expressed support for just that: *this set*, with no
> indication of support for encoding arbitrary non-graphic data.
But we know now how easily promises of the form "We're just going to
encode X, nothing more" can become "Why shouldn't we encode Y, it's just
like X?"
> You just think these are all out of scope, and so people supporting
> them would therefore be inclined to support anything out of scope. But
> that's just not the case.
Not exactly. I asked what the difference was.
> Simple: these are graphic entities, and all the things you mentioned
> are not.
Video clips are graphic entities. So is every diagram in "Gray's
Anatomy" and in da Vinci's journals. So is every photo ever uploaded to
Flickr.
>> Because the only argument I have heard in favor of encoding things
>> with zero symbolic value like FISH CAKE WITH SWIRL DESIGN
>
> I don't think I've heard anybody make any arguments in favour of
> encoding things with zero symbolic value. Everything in the set being
> proposed has symbolic value to a significant user community.
What is the symbolic value of FISH CAKE WITH SWIRL DESIGN? (You don't
have to answer, Peter; I'd accept an answer from anyone. But it should
be a realistic, non-contrived answer, not "this symbolizes that the
restaurant in question serves fish cakes with a swirl design," or "this
symbolizes that I had a fish cake with a swirl design for lunch
yesterday.")
-- Doug Ewell * Thornton, Colorado, USA * RFC 4645 * UTN #14 http://www.ewellic.org http://www1.ietf.org/html.charters/ltru-charter.html http://www.alvestrand.no/mailman/listinfo/ietf-languages ˆ
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