ICANN: 100.000 characters - IDN Forums

rofsjan · #1 02-12-2008, 10:34 PM

ICANN Explores India's Pioneering Work on IDNs

Nation's work on Internationalized Domain Names has lessons for global project

12 February 2008

NEW DELHI , INDIA: The Indian experience with Internationalized Domain Names and possible lessons for global implementation of IDNs will be front and center at a workshop at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers 31st International Public Meeting slated for 13 February 2008 at 11 am local time.

"ICANN's IDN program is about making close to 100,000 characters from the languages of the world available at the top level – the part after the dot -- so users can benefit from a domain name in fully localized language or script," said Tina Dam, ICANN's IDN Program Directorr. " India has 22 official languages and has done a great deal of foundation work on how languages and scripts – or the collection of characters used in a language – can be categorized and used. There are a lot of lessons for the world coming out of the work being done in India."

Because different languages can share similar characters and scripts, there are numerous technical and policy issues on how they would be handled and used in domain names. Much work has been done on this in India.

The IDNs in Indian Languages and Scripts workshop will cover the following topics:

* An Introduction To Indian Languages, and Scripts
* Development of Language Tables, Policy Issues for Indic Scripts
* Indian Languages in Computer Applications
* Status of Indian Language Deployment in Operating Systems
* Status of Indian Language Deployments in Computer Applications

"As ICANN moves forward to making the scripts and languages of the world available in all levels of domain names, the work being done in India, and the lessons learned, willl make an immeasurable contribution to the people of the world being able to get their name in their language for their Internet," Dam said.

bwhhisc · #2 02-13-2008, 01:10 AM

C'mon Tina, just mention that IDN.com is alive and kicking...just one lil' ole time and I will send you a dozen longstem roses.

Giant · #3 02-13-2008, 06:51 AM

Very good news! One more evidence to confirm the value of IDN.com. Cheers!

bwhhisc · #4 02-13-2008, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Giant

Very good news! One more evidence to confirm the value of IDN.com. Cheers!

I don't think she has said the magic words yet.

davnin · #5 02-13-2008, 09:46 AM

Yes... 100,000 characters from the languages of the world available at the top level

but how many of them are typable and visible in the web?
Almost none!!!

Try to type something in the Oriya language or Sinhala, Lao, Tibetan, Myanmar, Ethiopic, Cherokee, Ogham, Runic, Khmer, Mongolian, Yi, etc. etc.
These languages have characters already available at the second-level domain!
But they're not useful because nobody can type them or see them.
It's a political decision, not a pragmatic one.

jacksonm · #6 02-13-2008, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davnin

Yes... 100,000 characters from the languages of the world available at the top level

but how many of them are typable and visible in the web?
Almost none!!!

Try to type something in the Oriya language or Sinhala, Lao, Tibetan, Myanmar, Ethiopic, Cherokee, Ogham, Runic, Khmer, Mongolian, Yi, etc. etc.
These languages have characters already available at the second-level domain!
But they're not useful because nobody can type them or see them.
It's a political decision, not a pragmatic one.

I can see characters in several of the above scripts just fine with my default linux installation on my laptop.

As well, it's incredibly simple to create new keyboard maps in linux.

Maybe the real problem is micros~1 windows and it's lack of "innovation"?

.

mulligan · #7 02-13-2008, 10:18 AM

If using windows you might need to install the 'language pack' for whichever language you are not seeing correctly

Control Panel >> Regional and Language options >> click on the 'Langauges' tab >> check both boxes in the 'Supplemental language support' box >> and hit apply

(Note that you will need your OS CD and this applies only to XP)

Why these scripts are not already installed by default is beyond me

jacksonm · #8 02-13-2008, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mulligan

If using windows you might need to install the 'language pack' for whichever language you are not seeing correctly

Control Panel >> Regional and Language options >> click on the 'Langauges' tab >> check both boxes in the 'Supplemental language support' box >> and hit apply

(Note that you will need your OS CD and this applies only to XP)

Why these scripts are not already installed by default is beyond me

Mulligan, does the "language pack" include both fonts and keyboard map, or just fonts? Sorry, I don't have a windows machine.

.

clipper · #9 02-13-2008, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacksonm

Mulligan, does the "language pack" include both fonts and keyboard map, or just fonts? Sorry, I don't have a windows machine.

.

Doesn't matter.

It supports software users don't have to write themselves.

If you have anything to do with the web, you should at least be able to see how 90% of your visitors see your sites.

C'mon, a used dell box is like $200 on ebay.

davnin · #10 02-13-2008, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mulligan

Why these scripts are not already installed by default is beyond me

I totally agree.

jacksonm · #11 02-13-2008, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clipper

Doesn't matter.

It supports software users don't have to write themselves.

If you have anything to do with the web, you should at least be able to see how 90% of your visitors see your sites.

C'mon, a used dell box is like $200 on ebay.

I was just wondering if people could also write content in e.g. cherokee script if they installed the language pack on windows.

While my linux machine does have a few hundred built-in keyboard maps, it does not have cherokee. But it can view cherokee and amhari scripts by default. As well, creating new maps is simple and can easily be contributed to vendors like RedHat for inclusion into future releases or updates (community at work). Try sending a cherokee keyboard map to micros~1 for inclusion, and just wait for it to appear in windows :-)

I own about 10 computers at home. Finding one to put windows on, if I wanted, would not be a problem. Actually, if I had a serious business need to use windows for something, then I would. I haven't found such a need so far, though.

I write all of my sites with strict xhtml and standard css, both validated, no browser tricks, etc. But I don't make the css so complex that it should render much differently in different browsers. Seems to be working - so far, so good. No need for windows!

.

davnin · #12 02-13-2008, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mulligan

If using windows you might need to install the 'language pack' for whichever language you are not seeing correctly

Control Panel >> Regional and Language options >> click on the 'Langauges' tab >> check both boxes in the 'Supplemental language support' box >> and hit apply

(Note that you will need your OS CD and this applies only to XP)

Why these scripts are not already installed by default is beyond me

I have already checked the boxes. So probably it means that windows don't support all languages.
Maybe we can try a thing.
Tell me please if you are able to see these characters, they're Yi.

ꀀ ꀁ ꀂ ꀃ ꀄ ꀅ ꀆ ꀇ ꀈ ꀉ ꀊ ꀋ ꀌ ꀍ ꀎ ꀏ ꀐ ꀑ ꀒ ꀓ ꀔ ꀕ ꀖ ꀗ ꀘ ꀙ ꀚ ꀛ ꀜ ꀝ

You can either past and copy them wherever you want.

mgrohan · #13 02-13-2008, 10:57 AM

Quote:

If using windows you might need to install the 'language pack' for whichever language you are not seeing correctly

Pretty sure this is not the case with Vista.

Have been able to see all languages with my installation of vista without the need to install language packs as in xp. XP needs the language packs from the installation CD and a reboot after installation, which made XP absolutely awful for viewing foreign languages.

Couple of obscure scripts i needed to install fonts though i think.

mulligan · #14 02-13-2008, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacksonm

Mulligan, does the "language pack" include both fonts and keyboard map, or just fonts? Sorry, I don't have a windows machine.

.

This I dont know but am pretty sure there is a way to 'switch keyboards' as it were .. not being multilingual I haven't had the need to find out

Quote:

Originally Posted by davnin

I have already checked the boxes. So probably it means that windows don't support all languages.
Maybe we can try a thing.
Tell me please if you are able to see these characters, they're Yi.

ꀀ ꀁ ꀂ ꀃ ꀄ ꀅ ꀆ ꀇ ꀈ ꀉ ꀊ ꀋ ꀌ ꀍ ꀎ ꀏ ꀐ ꀑ ꀒ ꀓ ꀔ ꀕ ꀖ ꀗ ꀘ ꀙ ꀚ ꀛ ꀜ ꀝ

You can either past and copy them wherever you want.

Once done click on the 'Advanced' tab and check the boxes of the languages you want to see on the 'Code page conversion table'

Another thing that you may have to do is if it's not in there do a search for a font pack .. they are free and shouldn't be too hard to find .. download it and 'drag and drop' it into your >> My computer >> WINDOWS >> fonts folder

mgrohan · #15 02-13-2008, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Tell me please if you are able to see these characters, they're Yi.

ꀀ ꀁ ꀂ ꀃ ꀄ ꀅ ꀆ ꀇ ꀈ ꀉ ꀊ ꀋ ꀌ ꀍ ꀎ ꀏ ꀐ ꀑ ꀒ ꀓ ꀔ ꀕ ꀖ ꀗ ꀘ ꀙ ꀚ ꀛ ꀜ ꀝ

Can see in vista without mucking around anything or changing any settings.

davnin · #16 02-13-2008, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mgrohan

Can see in vista without mucking around anything or changing any settings.

thanks

mkellerman · #17 02-14-2008, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacksonm

Mulligan, does the "language pack" include both fonts and keyboard map, or just fonts? Sorry, I don't have a windows machine.

.

In Windows, it isn't called a keyboard map, but what you mean by a keyboard map is also included. The lanauge packs for CJK lanagues contain input methods too. This 'multilingual typing and fonts has been supported since Windows 2000, so it's available in XP.

Quote:

Originally Posted by davnin

I have already checked the boxes. So probably it means that windows don't support all languages.
Maybe we can try a thing.
Tell me please if you are able to see these characters, they're Yi.

ꀀ ꀁ ꀂ ꀃ ꀄ ꀅ ꀆ ꀇ ꀈ ꀉ ꀊ ꀋ ꀌ ꀍ ꀎ ꀏ ꀐ ꀑ ꀒ ꀓ ꀔ ꀕ ꀖ ꀗ ꀘ ꀙ ꀚ ꀛ ꀜ ꀝ

You can either past and copy them wherever you want.

I can see those characters. I'm using Simplified Chinese WIndows XP with a Japanese language pack installed. I can arabic characters too.