Re: Unicode's Mandate

From: UList@dfa-mail.com
Date: Sat Mar 05 2005 - 16:43:37 CST

  • Next message: Doug Ewell: "Unicode abuse (was: Re: But E0000 Custom Language Tags Are Actually *Required* For Use By Unicode)"

    I think I meant to express a format for freely associating codepoints with
    some kind of XML-defined sets of glyphs... in secret my intent was just
    user-controlled Variation Selectors...

    >
    > > > I would love "flexibility" like an "eXtensible Glyph Format".
    > >
    > > Sounds like an interesting idea.
    >
    > No, it sounds completely meaningless.
    >
    > A glyph is a graphic object; depending on your terminology, it is either
    > a concrete object, for which the term "glyph image" is also used, on
    > abstract object corresponding to a set of glyph images with a common
    > identity. A "format" means some means of representing information -- in
    > this case information about a glyph. So, unless this is supposed to be a
    > format for representing meta-information about abstract glyphs, it must
    > mean a format for representing glyph images. Such formats exist: the
    > various outline formats, such as TrueType outlines, or pixel formats.
    > What's to extend? Are there glyph images that cannot be represented
    > using TrueType outlines? No, there are not (and won't be as long as
    > writing is done on surfaces rather than in three-dimensional space). The
    > only likely extensions are for things like colour of elements within a
    > glyph, and such extensions happen as significant innovations of a
    > technology such as the TrueType spec; there's no need for a framework
    > for arbitrary extensions of formats for representing glyphs by end users
    > or in derivative specifications.
    >
    > I suppose if he was referring to a format for representing
    > meta-information about abstract glyphs, then extensibility could make
    > sense since there may be all kinds of arbitrary information about a
    > glyph that someone may wish to record. But I really doubt this is what
    > Doug is talking about.



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