Subject: Code conversion software

From: John McRae <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1992 16:21:54 -0500

Can anyone out there provide some guide as to what software now
exists for the conversion of data from one CJK-related character
code to another?  In addition, what tools for the creation of
such software (i.e., cross-referenced code tables and the like)
exists?

At the moment, I'm beginning to design a strategy for Cornell
to improve its treatment of CJK bibliographic records in our
various library collections.  Our original cataloguing is now
done through RLIN (Research Libraries Information Network),
using REACC (RLIN East Asian Character Code).  I do not think
this situation is likely to change in the immediate future,
nor am I recommending such a change.  However, I would like
to make it possible for us to download Cornell records from
the RLIN database and display them over the university's
fairly prodigious network system, using an appropriate
database package.  (I would be happy to learn whether RLIN
is planning to make such download and display capabilities
available from ordinary Macs and PCs, but that's another
topic.)

In order to display these bibliographic records, there would
have to be either a database that understands REACC, or some
process for converting records using REACC into Unicode (and
into a database program that understands Unicode) or, as a
stopgap measure until Unicode-capable database software is
on the market, conversion utilities to move the Chinese REACC
records into Big 5 format and the Japanese REACC records into
JIS (or shift-JIS) format.

I know there's a conversion utility for converting between
Guobiao and Big 5, but what about between REACC, Unicode,
Gig 5, and JIS?  And even if the conversion software does
not yet exist, don't the Unicode folks have cross-reference
tables to facilitate the creation of such software?

If you reply individually to me, I'll summarize to the ccnet-l
and Unicode lists.  If I get any response, that is...

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John R. McRae
Assoc. Professor of East Asian Religions
Department of Asian Studies
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY  14853-2502
607/255-1328
fax:   -1686
e-mail:  [email-masked]  (Internet)
         [email-masked]          (Bitnet)

P.S.  Mail sent to the jrm@cornella address will
automatically be forwarded to crux2.
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