Subject: UNICODE and others

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1993 01:16:00 EST

Hi, CCNET readers,
I am pleased to receive the files sent by Rupert Zhu about UNICODE.
This is a development that is going to affect future Chinese computing.
I hope more information on this and similar topic can be seen
in this newsgroup.

This brings up my recent memory on the troublesome Electronic Magazine
sent by some enthusiasts in Taiwan. In that "Magazine", I was particularly
interested in the article on the Chinese codes from past to now. It was such
a well-written article that every Chinese should take a look. The coding
methods and input methods are still very confusing and lack of a standard.
I hope we can reach an agreement in the near future.

That particular Electronic Magazine also illustartes an interesting method
of distributing Chinese articles: the magazine include two files
one of which is an executable which can display the magazine on a PC
screen without the aid of any Chinese system or converter. I was quite
impressed and believed that this is the trend to follow. Another file
is a Big-5 text file for that magazine, which can be viewed by a viewer
or converted into a GB file or other file type. This additional file
is simply the traditional method of distributing text file, and
requires converter or viewer to read the file.

Anyway, I think the coding methods, and similarly the input methods,
need our attention and agreement if we are going to establish
a really efficient Chinese computing environment. I would welcome any discussion
on this topic.

Song-Muh Jong
[email-masked]