Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 21:41:23 -0800 (PST) From: hiura@unicode.org To: i18n@XFree86.Org Cc: bsd-locale@hauN.org, i18n@freebsd.org Subject: Re: [I18n] Restart: better XI18N future API Message-ID: <20001221.214123.74188536.hiura@Eng.Sun.COM> In-Reply-To: <3A42CE93.98DC2305@netscape.com> References: <20001221.160155.125112926.hiura@Eng.Sun.COM> <3A42CE93.98DC2305@netscape.com>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
I just received your reply after I wrote 3 emails; the part2 of XI18N
future API, a reply to Yao Zhang explaining Glyph code API and Encoded
text code API are designed to be in the different layer, and a reply
to Robert mentioning also about toolkits/Appapplications already
convert encoded text to Font+Glyph index won't be able to use encoded
text APIs, and I am glad that you also explained the difference
between Glyph code and encoded text code.
> From: bstell@netscape.com (Brian Stell)
> hiura@unicode.org wrote:
> > #1. Thread safe multi-locale equivalent capability for X for the
> > applications willing to do the extra-things for I18N without
> > changing systems' global locale.
> > #2. Processing the text in the different encodings from the encodings
> > set by the system's global locale, particularly in UTF-8.
> > #3. Upward compatibility with the existing API, avoid unnecessary
> > duplication for the short circuiting.
> > #4. Support multiple encodings including Unicode and legacy, provide
> > options for both users and *programmers* to chose which encoding(s)
> > to deal with, but no hardwiring to particular encoding.
>
> What about glyph codes?
When I wrote "XI18N future API" part 1, I thought I better put the
glyph code topic aside, but the reply from Robert mentioning about
QT/GTK/Java/TCL/Mozilla, I came to the conclusion that I should
articulate the difference between the glyph code API and the
encoded text API. So as I committed in the reply to Robert, I would
address the issues reagrding glyph code API from the perspective that
what kind of API set Mozilla type of apps can use in part 3 or 4,
including the consideration regarding intelligent font and shape
charset for non intelligent font.
> Some languages have characters that have different shapes (glyphs)
> depending on the position relative to other characters (isolated,
> beginning of word, middle of word, end of word).
> Sometime fonts supply alternate glyphs for a given character based
> on other factors such as modern vs archaic shape.
Absolutely.
--
hiura@{sun.com,li18nux.org,kondara.org,unicode.org} http://www.li18nux.org
Chair, Li18nux/Linux Internationalization Initiative, Free Standards Group
Architect/Sr. Staff Engineer, Sun Microsystems, Inc, FAX 650-786-9553
To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org
with "unsubscribe freebsd-i18n" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?20001221.214123.74188536.hiura>