From: ichudov@algebra.com (Igor Chudov @ home)
Date: Sun, 1 Sep 1996 06:52:02 +0800
To: qut@netcom.com (Dave Harman OBC)
Subject: Re: Code Review Guidelines (draft)
In-Reply-To: <199608311831.LAA23860@netcom21.netcom.com>
Message-ID: <199608312040.PAA20696@manifold.algebra.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text


Dave Harman OBC wrote:
> ! > Agreed, the DNS and other systems should be upgraded to 8bit.
> ! > Unix should also allow / in file names, it can be escaped somehow.
> ! 
> ! It is not possible.
> 
> Oh, every value can be escaped, there's no reason that the full 8bit 
> range cannot be incorporated throughout every operating system.  It's 
> just legacy junk which keeps us putting up restrictions in everything 
> that we really don't want.  Ditto for network software.
> 

It is not possible because all old programs will be broken.

It is also not possible because non-ascii characters have different
meanings in different languages. I mean, words 

ðÏÌÀÂÉÌÁ ÐÁÒÎÑ Ñ,
ïËÁÚÁÌÓÑ ÂÅÚ ÈÕÑ.
îÁ ÈÕÑ ÍÎÅ ÂÅÚ ÈÕÑ, 
ëÏÇÄÁ Ó ÈÕÅÍ ÄÏ ÈÕÑ?

have meaning only to Russian speakers. A German or a Japanese would
never be able to remember a hostname like 
ÄÉÒÅËÃÉÑ.ÍÁÛÚÁ×ÏÄ.ÓÁÒÁÔÏ×.ÒÏÓÓÉÑ,
because in _their_ representation of these characters this text is a 
complete gibberish.

	- Igor.