[OldIDNer]

Sounds good. Most font/character problems can be resolved in Windows via the control panel/date time language and regional options/ add other languages/languages/select those two on the bottom, install (press ok), restart. That should take care of east asian/thai languages.

You'll also of course need an IDN enabled browser. You can use the firefox browser or the new IE7 beta browser, which is truly IDN enabled in that it resolves Unicode IDNs. Alternatively, you can simply download a plugin from verisign to enable other browsers like IE6.

Many registrars can accept IDNs inputed in Unicode form however I would still look up the punycode just so that you can double check that it's matching what you are registering at an IDN enabled registrar (they often show the punycode) and you will need it for anything not IDN enabled like hosting, the verisign whois or a registrar that only accepts Punycode.

The main thing is to research, research, research - use all the tools like overture, dictionaries and translators, foreign language search engines and tricks like checking out words found in wikipedia and in foreign language directories. You have to play detective. It's work. A lot of stuff has already been registered. You might want to explore expiring IDNs too.

Good Luck!