[Biblical-languages] Tidying up Unicode Hebrew: Please indicate your support

Peter_Constable at sil.org Peter_Constable at sil.org
Mon Jul 21 19:18:48 EDT 2003


Peter Kirk wrote on 07/21/2003 03:49:53 PM:

> Peter Constable, the author of the proposal which I was responding to,
> has told me that in the light of criticism already received "this
> proposal has a very low likelihood of being pursued". On the other hand,
> it has apparently not been withdrawn or rejected.

It doesn't need to be formally withdrawn or rejected; all that is needed to
kill it is for nobody to continue championing it.



> The most interesting response has been from some people within the
> Unicode Technical Committee. They have indicated that there is a real
> possibility that the problem could be fixed properly, by correcting the
> errors in the combining classes. I was told earlier that "UTC absolutely
> will not consider changing combining classes", but it seems that this
> position is not really quite so absolute.

The position of the UTC is all but absolute; their hands are in a sense
tied in that the officers of the Unicode Consortium (different from the
Unicode Technical Committee) have decreed that no such changes shall be
made, and so UTC can't make such changes without prior approval of the
officers of the Consortium. And the decisions of the latter group in this
matter are significantly influenced by the needs of other industry bodies
that depend on the Unicode Standard, and in particular are dependent on
stability.

Thus, in order for this kind of correction in the Unicode Standard to be
made, there are a number of parties that must first indicate to the Unicode
Consortium that they are agreeable to such a change, and then for the
officers of the Consortium to make a decision to permit the change.

If this sounds like a very difficult and slow process, it is, and for very
good reason: this kind of change is not something that should be possible
to make easily as it has enourmous potential to create havoc in industry.
(It's rather like the legislation governing a society: the most basic
principles that embody the society's constitution are intentionally made
more difficult to change.)



> But if these classes are to be
> changed it will still require considerable evidence that scholars and
> other users of biblical Hebrew, software implementers and content
> providers are united in supporting the principle of the change.

Indeed.



- Peter


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peter Constable

Non-Roman Script Initiative, SIL International
7500 W. Camp Wisdom Rd., Dallas, TX 75236, USA
Tel: +1 972 708 7485





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