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Received: by minnie.vk1xwt.ampr.org with NNTP id AA5234 ; Tue, 22 Dec 92 15:00:35 EST Xref: sserve comp.unix.bsd:9197 comp.os.linux:19947 Path: sserve!manuel.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!sgiblab!spool.mu.edu!yale.edu!qt.cs.utexas.edu!cs.utexas.edu!natinst.com!hrd769.brooks.af.mil!hrd769.brooks.af.mil!not-for-mail From: news@hrd769.brooks.af.mil (InterNet News) Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd,comp.os.linux Subject: Re: Dumb Americans (was INTERNATIONALIZATION: JAPAN, FAR EAST) Date: 19 Dec 1992 12:33:04 -0600 Organization: Armstrong Lab MIS, Brooks AFB TX Lines: 36 Message-ID: <1gvpt0INN8s0@hrd769.brooks.af.mil> References: <1992Dec18.212323.26882@netcom.com> <1992Dec18.235809.15484@midway.uchicago.edu> <agp22+#@rpi.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: hrd769.brooks.af.mil Keywords: Han Kanji Katakana Hirugana ISO10646 Unicode Codepages Having been involved in one of these Internationalization projects, I feel that, as a dumb American Engineer (automated control software engineer) that I should be offended. Strangely enough, I am not. I had to retrofit a LOT of our code to use whatever language indicator was in the language register. It wasn't designed to do that very well. I have also been an American in Europe. I have seen Europeans make complete idiots of themselves travelling within Europe. I have seen Japanese make fools of themselves in the States. It happens everywhere. Give it a rest. We are all localized. It is the nature of people all over. We act the way we are trained to act. Ignorance of local customs can make anyone look pretty dumb. Continuing with stereotypes should be criminal (like it already is in the U.S. Military). If I offered up half of these 'truths' as fact, I would be hammered, as well I should. So, I have a suggestion. Change someone. If you think internationalization is a snap, try it. Get convinced that it is hard to retrofit, but relatively simple to design for and proceed from there. If you think it is hard, try to plan for it early in one of your designs and see what happens. It could be that you will also find that it is practically automatic, once you decide how YOU want to do it (in the absence of a STANDARD, hallowed be its name). If you (individually) design your programs for possible Internationalization at some future point, you will be better at your task. This will reflect positively on you, and others around you will start to see the good sense in it. From there it becomes a matter of choice. Not only that, but it gives everyone a chance to lord it over someone who produces an 'inferior' product, although I know that none of you would do THAT... :-) In other words; talk is cheap. Just do it... TSgt Dave Burgess NCOIC AL/MIS Brooks AFB, TX