Protocol-08 (and status of Defs-04 and Rationale-06)

[Martin Duerst]

Hello Ken,

Thanks for working through all these options.

At 08:32 08/12/09, Kenneth Whistler wrote:
>O.k., time for some renumbering and analysis here.

[...]

>operationally what this boils down to is deciding
>whether to:
>
>    Option alpha: Add Extended Arabic-Indic digits (06F0..06F9)
>                  to CONTEXTO in tables.txt and add a context
>                  rule in Appendix A prohibiting those from
>                  cooccurring in a label with European digits
>                  (0030..0039).
>                  
>    Option beta:  Not do option alpha.
>    
>Doing anything else, in my opinion, would over-engineer and
>needlessly complicate the specification, with no net improvement
>in the end result.
>
>The advantage I see in choosing option alpha is that it
>would add a symmetry to the handling of Arabic digits, making
>the mixing of either set of them with European digits
>prohibited in labels, irrespective of bidi arcana. That is
>easier for implementers and end users to understand than
>the somewhat odd conclusion that comes simply from application
>of the bidi rules.

My guess is that end users won't care about it, because there
won't be any interest (except e.g. for spoofing, but I don't
think we should design to those kind of end users) in mixing
these digits. Why do I think so? If the most widely used OS
around doesn't actually distinguish these digit series, then
that means that they are not used for individual distinction.


>I think option alpha is also closer to
>what the (Arab) Arabic script input has been on the topic.
>
>The advantage I see in choosing option beta is that it
>keeps the tables document a little simpler, with one less
>abstruse context rule to check for. I think option beta
>is also closer to what the (Iranian) Arabic script input has been
>on the topic, unless I have misunderstood what Alireza has
>been saying.

Yes. The fact that the only distinction in the proposals is about
Extended Arabic-Indic digits, and these digits are being used
in Iran, but not in the Arabic-speaking areas, seems to point
in favor of option beta.


Regards,    Martin.


#-#-#  Martin J. Du"rst, Assoc. Professor, Aoyama Gakuin University
#-#-#  http://www.sw.it.aoyama.ac.jp       mailto:duerst at it.aoyama.ac.jp