Xref: utzoo comp.sys.ibm.pc:16917 comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d:516 comp.emacs:3754
Path: utzoo!yunexus!geac!daveb
From: daveb@geac.UUCP (David Collier-Brown)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d,comp.emacs
Subject: Re: US PC programmers still live in a 7-bit world!
Summary: Regrettably, national characters/accents vary nationally.
Keywords: 8bit uEMACS
Message-ID: <2949@geac.UUCP>
Date: 4 Jul 88 13:39:47 GMT
Article-I.D.: geac.2949
References: <1988Jun22.223158.1366@LTH.Se> <126@dcs.UUCP> <920@infbs.UUCP> <345@krafla.rhi.hi.is> <7350@j.cc.purdue.edu>
Reply-To: daveb@geac.UUCP (David Collier-Brown)
Organization: GEAC Computers, Toronto, CANADA
Lines: 36

In article <7350@j.cc.purdue.edu> nwd@j.cc.purdue.edu.UUCP (Daniel Lawrence) writes:
[...]
>	This causes an e with an acute accent to be inserted when the
>alt-e combination is struck.
>
>	My problem now is this.... How do I determine how such a
>character should be treated when converted to uppercase.  Not knowing
>the different languages involved, could someone in the know post such
>info?  Does it vary from language to language?  

  Yes, it does change.
  For example, french accented characters in France have their
accents dropped when converted to uppercase.  French accented
characters in Canada retain their accents when converted to
uppercase.
  This poses problems for a unilingual Anglo...

How are characters like
>this treated on UNIX machines of different sorts.  Rather than bemoaning
>the USA's programmers lack of attention, could someone tell us what is
>the right way to handle things like this?

  Do a literature search, once you become aware there is a problem.
[Programmers usually get shortchanged in university, by the way, and
often do not hear about literature searches until they hit grad
school, where the professors **freak** to discover that the student
doesn't have this basic skill. If you've been shortchanged, descend
on your local library's reference desk and have them point you at
their holdings on the subject --dave]

--dave (thats funny, there's no-one in the office today) c-b
-- 
 David Collier-Brown.  {mnetor yunexus utgpu}!geac!daveb
 Geac Computers Ltd.,  | "His Majesty made you a major 
 350 Steelcase Road,   |  because he believed you would 
 Markham, Ontario.     |  know when not to obey his orders"