What a Locale is.... (Re: [Fwd]: Response to Mark's message])

[Peter_Constable at sil.org]

Jon Hanna wrote on 04/15/2003 08:41:36 AM:

> > You're assuming that we can create a model involving new metadata
> > categories, and get support for these incorporated into various 
systems,
> > such as the HTTP protocol and HTTP servers. But wasn't that already
> > discussed in this thread, with the conclusion that the likelihood of
> > success in that was very low? (I seem to recall that comment being 
made,
> > but perhaps I'm mistaken. I guess I could review the archive to find
> > out...)
> 
> Changing the meaning of current headers in a manner that isn't 
completely
> backwards-compatible would have an even greater need for rapid adoption.

I don't see how the proposal to incorporate scripts into RFC3066(bis) is 
changing the meaning of current headers in a manner that isn't completely 
backwards compatible. It seems to me it is the very issue of backwards 
compatibility that forces us to do exactly what is being proposed. And 
given that there are existing uses of RFC3066 tags for differentiation of 
textual forms (e.g. what is most often being distinguished by en-US versus 
en-GB is spelling, not vocabulary), then it seems that it would be a 
proposal to put anything related to variations in textual form into a 
separate metadata category that would be changing the meaning of current 
headers in a significant and non-backwards-compatible manner.



- Peter


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Peter Constable

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