From isaak@unix.ttb.dec.com Mon Jan 4 12:52:40 1993 Received: from decvax.dec.com (decvax.zk3.dec.com) by dkuug.dk with SMTP id AA24419 (5.65c8/IDA-1.4.4j for ); Mon, 4 Jan 1993 23:52:47 +0100 Received: from unix.ttb.dec.com by decvax.dec.com (5.65/DEC-ULTRIX-8/19/92) id AA22061; Mon, 4 Jan 1993 17:52:42 -0500 Received: by unix.ttb.dec.com (5.57/ULTRIX-fma-031291); id AA07042; Mon, 4 Jan 93 17:52:40 -0500 Date: Mon, 4 Jan 93 17:52:40 -0500 From: isaak@unix.ttb.dec.com (Jim Isaak-respond via isaak@decvax.dec.com) Message-Id: <9301042252.AA07042@unix.ttb.dec.com> To: sc22wg15@dkuug.dk Subject: April 21-23 Ad Hoc meeting, more info. X-Charset: ASCII X-Char-Esc: 29 WG15 Technical Experts. We are still looking for WG15 participants in the Character Set Ad Hoc set for April 21-23 in Copenhagen. Below is some more detailed information on the expected areas of discussion. Keld will be attending, actually hosting as you might expect; and Keith Hopper is the meeting chair; so WG15 will have some experts present. However, I belive we have more concerns and expertise that could be present, and would encourage other participants. Please let me, (and Keith) know if you can come. You may want to provide written input via either Keith or Keld on some of these topics as well. Thanks, Jim Isaak =============================================================== AD HOC MEETING ON CHARACTER SETS: BACKGROUND AND OUTLINE MEETING PLAN Introduction ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22 has discussed the implications of the newly approved standard ISO 10646-1.2 Multi-Octet Coded Character Sets and identified a number of concerns. These concerns involve directly the work of SC22 working groups in relation to programming language standards and also the interaction between these and other areas of Information Technology. Issues of Concern The technical issues which were identified include the following :- a. The terminology used for characters, glyphs, etc is different in several standards used as references by programming language standards. Agreed common terminology in light of the newly available standard 10646 is required. b. The names provided for "characters" in different standards ideally need to be cross-referred to a common naming scheme so that misunderstandings and misconceptions do not occur. c. It is a principle of many current programming language standards that there is expected to be a one-to-one correspondence between a graphic symbol and its encoding. This also applies to names used in the programming language run-time environment. This will no longer be the case with the advent of ISO 10646. How is this problem to be treated? d. Storage capacity of, for example, program string variables must be described differently when a user describes data as a number of graphic symbols. How may this best be done? e. How may the determination of positioning in preparing output of formatted documents or miscellaneous messages be made? f. How may multiple character sets be identified, selected and used within one program dynamically -- both within one system and when a program is working across networks? g. How will program communication with its operating environment to interact with external objects (eg filing system) be affected? What problems of multiple simultaneous character set usage may this offer? Will programs using networks further complicate this issue? h. How may changes of natural language, collating order, etc be defined globally and where needed in individual messages/strings? What kinds of message tagging may be needed? i. The presentation of character data sent from a program and the preparation of character data from input are device-dependent. The use of multiple coding schemes requires knowledge of device attributes. What are the implications of this for a single system program and a multiple system one? Aim of Meeting The Ad Hoc meeting to discuss these concerns has three principal objectives :- (1) Ensure that all SC22 WGs and liaison groups with programming language concerns can be involved in discussion aiming to resolve them. (2) Develop a plan for resolving concerns which cannot be solved immediately at the meeting. (3) Prepare a report and recommendations to be forwarded to SC22, this report to include recommendations, if appropriate, for joint actions with other bodies with related character set concerns. Outline Meeting Plan On receipt of the names of attendees, the convener will ask each to prepare, before 1 March 1993, a brief paper expressing their understanding of the concerns of the meeting and suggested solutions where these may be known. The convener will circulate a copy of all of these to each invited attendee during the first week in March so that everyone attending will have seen every other attendee's thoughts, ideas and suggestions - and had time to consider what modifications/changes/compromises may be possible in light of their own ideas. It is hoped that while impeccable technical correctness in everything may be the ideal, every attendee will be able to attend with the knowledge that compromise will inevitably be needed and be prepared to co-operate in achieving the technically most satisfactory compromise for all. The meeting will convene at 0900 on 21 April and, after some necessary preliminary administrative issues have been dealt with, continue with ten technical sessions over the next two and a half days. The final afternoon will be devoted to discussion of a draft report and recommendations, aiming to close the meeting before 1700 on 23 April. The technical sessions will correspond roughly to the concerns noted earlier in this document, the exact title of each being decided by the convener in light of the papers received from invited attendees. One expert will be invited to summarise his own and other ideas at the start of each session, which will then be open to discussion as needed. It is hoped that each session will be able to provide some input to the final report and plan to be discussed on the Friday afternoon of the meeting. The final agenda will be issued with the papers for consideration at the beginning of March 1993. November 1992 K Hopper Hamilton, NZ