Re: FYI: BOF on Internationalized Email Addresses (IEA)

On Tue, 28 Oct 2003, Arnt Gulbrandsen wrote:
> > Is ASCII formally abolished as the lingua franca of email addresses,
> > meaning that some people will be unable to use ASCII addresses?
> I think the latter will some day be the case. Personally I'm not unhappy
> about it - anyone who doesn't know my alphabet is unlikely to know any
> language I also know.

Such a prospect appalls me.

> > If not, doesn't that create a two tier world of persons who have
> > usable international addresses and those who have domestic-only
> > addresses?
> Yep. Just like some of us speak foreign languages and others don't.
> As long as the email addresses are fully sufficient for communication
> with everyone with whom the user shares a language, it's okay.

This mixes apples and oranges; that is, the ability to have an email
address in your native script with language ability.

-- Mark --

http://staff.washington.edu/mrc
Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate.
Si vis pacem, para bellum.