[Python-3000] Support for PEP 3131

[Steve Howell]

--- Baptiste Carvello <baptiste13 at altern.org> wrote:

> Leonardo Santagada a écrit :
> > I don't. It is a bad idea to distribute non-ASCII
> code for libraries  
> > that are supposed to be used by the world as a
> whole. But  
> > distributing a chinese code for doing something
> like taxes using  
> > chinese rules is ok and should be encouraged (now,
> I don't know they  
> > have taxes in china, but that is not the point). 
> > 
> I wouldn't be so sure. In open source, you never
> know in advance to whom your
> code can be useful. Maybe some part of you chinese
> tax software can be
> refactored into a more generic library. If you write
> the software with non-ASCII
> identifiers, this refactored library won't be usable
> for non-chinese speakers. A
> good opportunity will be missed, but *you won't even
> know*.
> 

A couple people have made the point that it's easier
for a non-Chinese-speaking person to translate from
Unicode Chinese to their target language than from
ASCII pseudo-Chinese, due to the current state of the
art of translation engines like Babelfish, Google,
etc.

A more likely translation scenarios is that somebody
semi-literate in a language attempts the translation. 
For example, I'm not fluent in French, but I could
translate a small useful French module to English
without too much effort, assuming that the underlying
algorithms were within my capability and I had
babelfish to overcome my rusty high school French. 
Here Unicode would probably help me, unless my browser
were just completely lame and the accents somehow
encumbered by ability to copy and paste.  My French
spelling when it comes to accents is bad, but they
don't affect me when it comes to reading.

The most likely scenario of translation is that
somebody truly bilingual does the translation.  I'm
sure there are something like 50,000 people in the
U.S. alone who are Chinese/English bilingual, and then
once you get something translated to English, that
opens up even more doors.

Having said all that, I agree with the underlying
premise that the availability of Unicode will provide
some mild disincentive for the original authors to
publish their work in English, to the extent that the
author doesn't predict (or stand to benefit from?) the
utility of his module outside the Chinese-reading
community.  But you do have to weigh that against the
disincentive to write the module in the first place,
if ascii is the only option.




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