From: Don Osborn (dzo@bisharat.net)
Date: Thu Nov 16 2006 - 08:02:03 CST
Just coming back to this issue. On what level should the necessary fonts or
characters be handled? Is it a question of OS *or* software or both in
tandem? If the latter then what is the role of each? These may seem too
simple a set of questions, but they would help in getting to the main issue
(as I see it): why in this case some non-Latin scripts are handled well and
extended Latin characters aren't.
Is it that once one has a Latin font without extended characters as a
default, the system or software doesn't look any further (but if there is a
non-Latin font the system or software looks for an appropriate font)?
Obviously one can reset the default Latin font in, say Yahoo messenger, to
one with the characters. But that isn't so satisfactory - you may not want
that font for all purposes; someone else who doesn't have such a font as
default will see only empty squares for extended characters unless they
change fonts. Is there a user setting that permits (obliges) the system or
software to search for the characters in another font, or is this something
that should be provided for in the software?
All this is perhaps just fine tuning in the use of Unicode / UTF-8 in
various applications.
Another example I'm trying (just casually, as I'm curious how common
messaging handles extended Latin and non-Latin scripts) is the Skype user
message - already had one feedback re non-display of extended Latin
characters.
TIA for any feedback
Don
From: unicode-bounce@unicode.org [mailto:unicode-bounce@unicode.org] On
Behalf Of Behnam
Sent: Sunday, November 05, 2006 4:13 PM
To: Don Osborn
Cc: Unicode Discussion; A12n-collaboration@bisharat.net
Subject: Re: Yahoo Messenger & Unicode: some observations
On 5-Nov-06, at 3:35 PM, Don Osborn wrote:
I personally am curious to understand better why it couldn't pick up a few
hooked letters in a Latin font while it did so well with Arabic, Ethiopic
and Chinese
Chinese, of-course, is the market! Ethiopic I don't know but Arabic support
is provided by MS Arial if this was your default font.
Is providing back-up font something that software should be doing or OS?
regards,
Behnam
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