Re: Just a Little Explanaton for Veering (RE: Blueberry/Unicode/ XML)

[Joel Rees <rees@server.mediafusion.co.jp>]

Don Park observed:


> Len 'Zen-tech master' wrote:
>
> >3.  A statement however bizarre that English is to be preferred.
> >This shows up in other emails from other authors and it shows
> >up in state courts as part of citizenry requirements, so it
> >is not as *alien* as one might think.  It is bigotry of course.
>
> As one of 'other authors', I support Len's less bizarre than usual
statement
> that English is preferred [for element and attribute names].  If you are a
> software engineer who uses any one of the popular programming languages,
you
> are already preferring English over other languages.  Politically correct
or
> not, I18N efforts often result in alienation and fragmentation as well as
> patronizing.  I fear the day when some well-intended company releases
> internationalized versions of DTDs.

I appreciate your concern that standards might become patronizing.

I wish you could understand how it is to work among programmers for most of
whom programming will never be more than a mathematical game, because they
can't write the identifiers in the language they are familiar with. The
typical attitude towards identifier names is that the meaning does not
matter, since uniqueness will keep variables from conflict and they don't
really understand English anyway.

My present company is a wonderful exception, but my co-workers here know to
avoid English when they don't need it. Somebody once asked if it were really
wise to use Kanji in XML tags, but there was no real discussion. Until it
causes some major problem, it is way more productive for them to use the
Kanji.

Joel Rees
programmer -- rees@mediafusion.co.jp
----------------------------------------------------
To be a tree supporting all information,
  giving root to the chaos
    and branches to the trivia,
      information breathing anew --
        This is the aim of Yggdrasill.
============================XML as Best Solution===
Media Fusion Co. ,Ltd.  株式会社メディアフュージョン
Amagasaki  TEL 81-6-6415-2560    FAX 81-6-6415-2556
    Tokyo　TEL 81-3-3516-2566  　FAX 81-3-3516-2567
                       http://www.mediafusion.co.jp
===================================================