[XML-DEV Mailing List Archive Home] [By Thread] [By Date] [Recent Entries] [Reply To This Message] RE: Two different sets of experiences about non-English identifie rs
On my mantle is a Buddhist holy name given me by my Korean master, Kyung Bo Seo. He sensibly wrote the name in both his native script and in transliterated English. As a result, today, I can still remember my Sangha name (I can't read the script) and have a work on my mantle that is both beautiful, evocative and valuable (he is a world recognized master in the artform). It isn't that hard and the cost is nothing compared to the benefit. All things are not strictly business decisions. Some are matters of human values. If we believe XML is not to be subject to such values, that it is instead, strictly a tool of business, then XML should and must always be subordinate to SGML, a better design created by smarter people for a customer that understood completely the phrase "Good fences make good neighbors." A choice is provided. Choose according to your values. Do not let others choose for you unless the options are of equal value and neither has a significant discriminator. Len http://www.mp3.com/LenBullard Ekam sat.h, Vipraah bahudhaa vadanti. Daamyata. Datta. Dayadhvam.h -----Original Message----- From: Don Park [mailto:donpark@d...] Sent: Friday, July 13, 2001 4:09 PM To: xml-dev@l... Subject: RE: Two different sets of experiences about non-English identifiers HUMAN FACTOR: We engineers often forget that, while technical aspect of translating native tag names to another language might be trivial, human factors are not. For example, people using the target tag names will not be able to communicate well with the original group nor groups using different target tag names. This problem can be minimized by using phonetic translation (i.e. Gaijin), but the problem does not go away. CODE FACTOR: XML applications recognize tags by tag names. Unless XML applications are designed to support multiple native tag names, code must be modified for each target language and repeat for each update. Translating code is harder than translating data. BUSINESS FACTOR: Today's globalization trend makes it less likely for a business to stay within its national border during its lifetime. Unless native tag names is being used as a form of anti-takeover mechanism, I donot see a compelling and tangeble reasons not to prepare for likely future. There are probably other factors involved, but these are some I can think of at this time. Comments? Best, Don Park ------------------------------------------------------------------ The xml-dev list is sponsored by XML.org, an initiative of OASIS <http://www.oasis-open.org> The list archives are at http://lists.xml.org/archives/xml-dev/ To unsubscribe from this elist send a message with the single word "unsubscribe" in the body to: xml-dev-request@l...
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