ID for language-invariant strings

Tracey, Niall niall.tracey at logica.com
Fri Mar 21 12:29:12 CET 2008


-----Original Message-----
From: ietf-languages-bounces at alvestrand.no [mailto:ietf-languages-bounces at alvestrand.no] On Behalf Of Peter Constable
Sent: 20 March 2008 16:52

> Niall wrote:
>> We don't need to know anything about the author's language to use the 
>> string as intended. I'd argue that the data as you have described is 
>> intrinsically arbitrary -- any linguistic content is extrinsic to the 
>> system. Hence from a system's point of view, the data is non-linguistic.

> For some reason I still find that a hurdle to get over. I guess it's
> because the names that will likely be used are copies of the name
> intended for display in some language. But broadening "zxx" to "not
> applicable" would lessen that hurdle.

Look at it this way.

You said:
"the main thing that matters is that it is stable since it is what would get used to reference that font resource programmatically in the future."

So we certainly do not want people using this as a display name: it is not inconceivable that the name of a font may be changed in a newer version, and we would only want the new version to have different *display* names -- the reference name should stay the same.

Tagging it as non-linguistic is then like pointing out that the delicious-looking apple in the fruit-bowl is made of wax, and should not be eaten.

Níall.

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