[I18n-sig] Strawman Proposal (2): Encoding attributes

[Paul Prescod]

Tim Peters wrote:
> 
> ...
> 
> Java has supported Unicode identifiers since its start, and is far more
> widely used than Python.  If you can't find supporting evidence of actual
> user demand there (I failed to) ...

Java is a programming language for professional programmers. They think
it is natural to compare two strings with the "isequal" method. Anyone
in that mindset would find romanji natural too!

> > ...
> > But I'll say again that I think it would be a big mistake to add
> > any further impedements to getting there.
> 
> Who has proposed adding an impediment?  If someone did, I missed it.

There was a suggestion of having the encoding declaration only apply to
unicode strings. Special characters in comments and literal strings
would be interpreted as Latin 1. Now several years from now we'd have to
invent another encoding declaration for non-string stuff.

> Try asking one?  For example, ask Yukihiro Matsumoto why Ruby's set of
> allowed identifiers is the same as Python's.  If a Japanese language
> designer sees no need to support Japanese identifiers, I'm not going to
> presume I know Japanese programmer needs better than him -- or that you do
> either.

I don't presume to know what they want but I do know that people's needs
change and anticipating that is part of systems design in general and
language design in particular.

> > ...
> > Where's Greg Wilson when I need him?
> 
> Doubt he's on this SIG; mailto:gvwilson@nevex.com.

Twas more of a joke...

 Paul Prescod