Path: csiph.com!usenet.pasdenom.info!weretis.net!feeder4.news.weretis.net!rt.uk.eu.org!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed4.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail
Return-Path: <python@mrabarnett.plus.com>
X-Original-To: python-list@python.org
Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org
X-Spam-Status: OK 0.043
X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.91; '*S*': 0.00; 'inspired': 0.05; 'ascii': 0.09; 'excluding': 0.09; 'magazines': 0.09; 'finney': 0.16; 'from:addr:mrabarnett.plus.com': 0.16; 'from:addr:python': 0.16; 'from:name:mrab': 0.16; 'headaches': 0.16; 'ignoring': 0.16; 'message-id:@mrabarnett.plus.com': 0.16; 'proportion': 0.16; 'received:192.168.1.4': 0.16; 'subject:Unicode': 0.16; 'thereby': 0.16; 'unicode,': 0.16; 'unicode.': 0.16; 'unicode?': 0.16; 'prevent': 0.16; 'language': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.18; 'looked': 0.18; 'header:User-Agent:1': 0.23; 'rapidly': 0.24; "world's": 0.24; 'certain': 0.27; 'header:In-Reply-To:1': 0.27; 'point': 0.28; 'character': 0.29; 'easier': 0.31; 'lines': 0.31; 'that.': 0.31; 'url:wiki': 0.31; 'diversity': 0.31; 'url:wikipedia': 0.31; 'writes:': 0.31; 'probably': 0.32; 'older': 0.33; 'programmers': 0.33; 'except': 0.35; 'something': 0.35; 'building': 0.35; 'there': 0.35; 'described': 0.36; 'reflect': 0.36; "didn't": 0.36; 'url:org': 0.36; 'ben': 0.38; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.38; 'fact': 0.38; 'that,': 0.38; 'little': 0.38; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'days': 0.60; 'even': 0.60; 'course.': 0.60; 'most': 0.60; 'further': 0.61; 'back': 0.62; 'story': 0.63; 'such': 0.63; 'reached': 0.63; 'our': 0.64; 'listings': 0.65; 'started.': 0.68; 'containing': 0.69; 'fantastic': 0.74; '\xe2\x80\x93': 0.77; 'article': 0.77; 'as:': 0.81; "'it": 0.84; '8bit%:16': 0.84; 'presumably': 0.84; 'skip:\xe2 30': 0.91
X-CM-Score: 0.00
X-CNFS-Analysis: v=2.1 cv=ZphjKrLG c=1 sm=1 tr=0 a=0nF1XD0wxitMEM03M9B4ZQ==:117 a=0nF1XD0wxitMEM03M9B4ZQ==:17 a=0Bzu9jTXAAAA:8 a=1oDRhzKAKukA:10 a=ihvODaAuJD4A:10 a=IkcTkHD0fZMA:10 a=EBOSESyhAAAA:8 a=pGLkceISAAAA:8 a=8pif782wAAAA:8 a=9N8mMtCqapmNX09r5SwA:9 a=QEXdDO2ut3YA:10 a=MSl-tDqOz04A:10
X-AUTH: mrabarnett:2500
Date: Fri, 02 May 2014 17:52:55 +0100
From: MRAB <python@mrabarnett.plus.com>
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.3; WOW64; rv:24.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/24.5.0
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: python-list@python.org
Subject: Re: Unicode 7
References: <d6e81de5-a82b-491f-b2f0-7ab4a24cff03@googlegroups.com> <mailman.9579.1398794381.18130.python-list@python.org> <ac9b2a50-3b5d-4ee8-8954-9f0f1ab490b6@googlegroups.com> <5361d4f9$0$11109$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com> <82067b83-a6f5-4b16-b012-385535ea5607@googlegroups.com> <ljuiej$qim$1@ger.gmane.org> <mailman.9639.1398987208.18130.python-list@python.org> <eb56fd65-4729-42db-bcd4-179c19aaf485@googlegroups.com> <85iopohpjj.fsf@benfinney.id.au>
In-Reply-To: <85iopohpjj.fsf@benfinney.id.au>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15
Precedence: list
List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language <python-list.python.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <https://mail.python.org/mailman/options/python-list>, <mailto:python-list-request@python.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/>
List-Post: <mailto:python-list@python.org>
List-Help: <mailto:python-list-request@python.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list>, <mailto:python-list-request@python.org?subject=subscribe>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.python
Message-ID: <mailman.9654.1399049579.18130.python-list@python.org>
Lines: 40
NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6
X-Trace: 1399049579 news.xs4all.nl 2896 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:56034
X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl
Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:70870

On 2014-05-02 03:39, Ben Finney wrote:
> Rustom Mody <rustompmody@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> Yes, the headaches go a little further back than Unicode.
>
> Okay, so can you change your article to reflect the fact that the
> headaches both pre-date Unicode, and are made much easier by Unicode?
>
>> There is a certain large old book...
>
> Ah yes, the neo-Sumerian story “Enmerkar_and_the_Lord_of_Aratta”
> <URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enmerkar_and_the_Lord_of_Aratta>.
> Probably inspired by stories older than that, of course.
>
>> In which is described the building of a 'tower that reached up to heaven'...
>> At which point 'it was decided'¶ to do something to prevent that.
>> And our headaches started.
>
> And other myths with fantastic reasons for the diversity of language
> <URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythical_origins_of_language>.
>
>> I never knew of any of this in the good ol days of ASCII
>
> Yes, by ignoring all other writing systems except one's own – and
> thereby excluding most of the world's people – the system can be made
> simpler.
>
ASCII lacked even £. I can remember assembly listings in magazines
containing lines such as:

     LDA £0

I even (vaguely) remember an advert with a character that looked like
Ł, presumably because they didn't have £. In a UK magazine? Very
strange!

> Hopefully the proportion of programmers who still feel they can make
> such a parochial choice is rapidly shrinking.
>