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From: gperkins@netcom.com (Glen C. Perkins)
Subject: Re: RFD: Programming Language Feature Matrix
Message-ID: <gperkinsDLE8x9.4xJ@netcom.com>
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References: <199601051418.AA21353@gateway.fedex.com> <4cm6lc$eob@csnews.cs.colorado.edu> <4cmat1$nb1@mtinsc01-mgt.ops.worldnet.att.net> <4cnhh6$pi7@csnews.cs.colorado.edu> <1996Jan14.234628.6035@smds.com>
Date: Thu, 18 Jan 1996 20:29:33 GMT
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rh@smds.com (Richard Harter) writes:


>In the text processing area one also wants the degree of support for
>internationalization and extended character sets. 

Yes, absolutely. Java's use of unicode for its 'char' and 'String'
data types (as well as for its source code including all identifier
names) is one of its best features. Other languages which
are retrofitting unicode and/or other double-byte character
handling (in class libraries, for example) are doing a Good Thing.

As the software industry becomes less provincial, there are features
that ought to be considered that didn't used to matter very much.
(E.g. "Are identifier names limited to ASCII? Latin-1? Any single
byte? Full Unicode?") Are strings assumed to be composed of
ASCII chars? Unicode chars? Just bytes?

To some extent, the existence of this feature matrix will
serve the function of reminding language designers of certain
issues that might otherwise have been overlooked (not
considered and passed over, but simply overlooked.) That
would be good for everybody, I think.


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