perl-unicode

Re: C<use utf8> dynamic scope?

1999-05-27 13:32:44
According to Dick Hardt:
For example, when opening files, it would make sense that a UTF-8
string could be handed to open(), and to be consistent with how
strlen() works, open() would know which mode the user wanted to be
in and do_the_right_thing (in this case, it would be to convert the
UTF-8 to UCS-2 and make a W api call rather than the A api call).

Well, here's the deal: Larry has consistently held that 'strings is
strings'; there's no such thing as a "UTF-8" string.  There are just
operations that treat strings as UTF-8, and operations that don't.

Perhaps, under Win32, the open operator needs to notice C<use utf8>.

1. C<use bytechar> pragma 
   This would enable a C<use utf16> or other character encoding
   in the future.

I don't see a use for anything other than UTF-8.  UTF-8 allows the
encoding of huge character codes (up to 40-some bits), so unless you
know of a need for more-than-40-some-bits per character, UTF-8 is
plenty.
-- 
Chip Salzenberg      - a.k.a. -      <chip(_at_)perlsupport(_dot_)com>
      "When do you work?"   "Whenever I'm not busy."

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