BETA Unicode 5.1.0

The next version of the Unicode Standard will be Version 5.1.0. The beta version of the documentation for Unicode 5.1.0 is located in:

http://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode5.1.0/

This version is planned for release in March 2008. A beta version of the 5.1.0 Unicode Character Database files is also available for public comment. We strongly encourage implementers to download these files and test them with their programs, well before the end of the beta period. These files are located in:

http://www.unicode.org/Public/5.1.0/
ftp://www.unicode.org/Public/5.1.0/

For guidance on how to focus your review, see the section Notable Issues for Beta Testers below.

Any comments on the beta Unicode 5.1.0, the UCD 5.1.0, or the 5.1.0 UAXs should be reported using the Unicode reporting form. The comment period ends January 28, 2008. All substantive comments must be received by that date for consideration at the next UTC meeting. Editorial comments (typos, etc) may be submitted after that date for consideration in the final editorial work.

Note: All beta files may be updated, replaced, or superseded by other files at any time. The beta files will be discarded once Unicode 5.1.0 is final. It is inappropriate to cite these files as other than a work in progress.

The Unicode Consortium provides early access to updated versions of the data files and text to give reviewers and developers as much time as possible to ensure a problem-free adoption of version 5.1.0.

The assignment of characters for Unicode 5.1.0 is now stable. There will be no further additions or modifications of code points.

One of the main purposes of the beta review period, however, is to verify and correct the preliminary character property assignments in the Unicode Character Database. Reviewers should check for property changes to existing Unicode 5.0.0 characters, as well as the property values for the new Unicode 5.1.0 character additions.

The beta review period is a good opportunity to add support for the new Unicode 5.1.0 characters in internal versions of software, so that software can be tested to verify that the new characters and property assignments don't cause problems when upgraded to Version 5.1.0 of Unicode.

However, because the Unicode Character Database files will be updated during the beta review period, before the final Version 5.1.0 is released, no products or implementations should be released based on the beta data files. For released products, use the final, approved Version 5.1.0 data files, expected in March, 2008.

Notable Issues for Beta Testers

Some links between beta documents and UAXs may not work correctly, as they might be links to documents with final names or revision numbers. This list is preliminary. More issues may be added during the beta period.

All Unicode Standard Annexes are being modified in Unicode 5.1.0, and may be coordinated with changes in properties. To see the current proposed updates to the particular UAXs, see Technical Reports or use the links on the navigation bar of this page. Particular issues in the UAXs are also the focus of specific Public Review Issues. Each proposed change in a UAX is highlighted, so that you can focus your review on those sections if you have limited time. The changes are also listed in each Modifications section (linked from the table of contents), so you can check on those areas that might be of most interest.

Beta reviewers often overlook the fact that the text in UCD.html is also updated and needs careful checking. To review, go to http://www.unicode.org/Public/5.1.0/ucd/ , and look for files of the form UCD-5.1.0dn.html. There are other documentation (.html) files which also need review in the ucd directory and its subdirectories as well.

Check carefully for any hard-coded range assumptions about Unified CJK Ideographs, because the end range for those has changed from U+9FBB to U+9FC3 in this version.

UTS #10: Unicode Collation Algorithm (UCA) determines the default sorting order for Unicode characters. The data for UCA is kept in sync with successive versions of Unicode, and given the same version number. Thus the 5.1.0 version of UTS #10 is available for review during the same period as Unicode 5.1.0. The draft data for UCA 5.1.0 is found in http://www.unicode.org/Public/UCA/5.1.0/.

To facilitate the migration of products to the final release version of the Unicode Character Database files, dated, diffable XML versions of the Unicode Character Database will be made available, so that implementers can check the details of any changes that occurred during the beta review period. The XML files are in the http://www.unicode.org/Public/5.1.0/diffs/ directory. For more information, see the readme.txt file.