Code pages

[Nicholas G. Zekulin]

I think it is true to say that, as more and more PCs come into service
(Mac
computers are confined almost exclusively to the Printing Industry),
KOI-8 has
to a great (and increasing) extent been superceded by the Windows code
page
(1251) in Russia, as well as elsewhere, except by those using main frame

computers (UNIX) where KOI still reigns.

Unicode has one MAJOR advantage over all other systems in that it is (to
the
best of my knowledge) the ONLY system that permits the mixing of Code
Pages in
the same document on the Internet (as distinct from in word
processing).  Any
combination of languages that uses "extended" characters ("Upper
ASCIIs")
cannot be combined any other way.  In other words, it does not matter if
all
you want in the same document is English and Russian, but you cannot
combine
French and Russian, e.g., or Hungarian and Russian except through
Unicode (in
which every "letter" or "ideogram" of (eventually) every language
--including
ancient languages; I recently found the code page for Ogham!-- has/will
have
its own unique coding [I admit that recent experiments in my department
to
combine Russian and Chinese and Japanese led to the mysterious
disappearance
from the screen of some isolated Chinese characters, but no doubt we'll
sort
that one out too]).

It is true that it is only recently that Unicode (usually identified as
UTF)
has begun to be included as a visible option in programmes, so older
versions
of browsers and word processors (for conversion to unicode) may not have
it, or
may hide it in the internal workings (e.g. Word 97 as distinct from Word
2000),
but it is becoming more and more common.

For the practical purposes which prompted this spate of e-mails, there
is,
however, a VERY simple solution.  All those posting messages in
alphabets other
than Latin without diacritics (English; which will probably mean
primarily
cyrillic, but on SEELANGS could include Central European and Western
European
code pages) should simply state which coding system they are using. That
way
each person can see if they have the capability of reading it without
trying to
guess at which system is being used.

Nick Zekulin

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