Internet Draft
Document: draft-tremblay-languages-names-codes-page-00.txt  A.N.Tremblay
Expiration Date: March 2001

                A Characters Codes Page for language names

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Abstract

      A new Codes Page so to handle the languages names in the native
characters set without need to multiples fonts to handle all languages
Codes Pages.

1.  The context

	When a list of language names has to be displayed so to let the
user select the humain language to be used for processing, the names
in the list could be either formated with the characters in a selected
language, most of the time english, for example 'french', instead of
'fran‡ais', or, with the native characters for the named language.


2. The problems

	There are two majors problems in the case one want to use the
native characters set with fonts rather than with graphic images.

	First, the fonts abled to display with the proper characters set
for the language has to be installed into the client system.

	Second, having all the necessary fonts installed and used, imply
a lot of ressources strest to load, handle and free the fonts.

3. A solution

	One way around, could be to have a Character Codes Page defined
only to be used in this context.

	Such a CP only need to have the characters necessary to display
the named language with the native characters. For the latin languages
the basic 26 alphabets letters and some accenteds characters, with
only the uppercase letters, is all it's needed.

	Also, the first ANSI 32 controls characters, except for those
like line feed, form feed, tabulation and the zero end of string,
can be recycled to make more room.

	I dont known all the native characters set needed for all
the languages and if a 256 Codes Page can handle all the language's
names, but even if in the case it cannot be done, it can for sure be
done with 2 or more language's names dedicated codes pages.

Author Address

       email: andre.n.tremblay@videotron.ca