Michael Everson wrote on 06/23/2003 07:54:13 AM:
We have *all* seen the atom sign, and I have, as Liungman points out, seen it on maps, though I don't seem to have such a map here in the house.
But just because a symbol appears on maps, does that mean it should be encoded as a character? I've seen a lot of maps that have a pointed cross showing four cardinal points of the compass; should we encode that?
Sigh. Peter, it's just an example. It seems that there are a number of symbols use on maps which may also have other uses. The crossed swords which = battlefield in cartography and which = died in battle in genealogy. Should a COMPASS ROSE be encoded also? It's a fair question to ask.
It is not clear to me that every symbol we have already encoded will be found in running text. Accordingly, some leeway needs to be given. Many "named" symbols, to me, have their own lives and are stronger candidates than things we already have encoded. What *is* the deal with U+2621 CAUTION SIGN? I guess it's supposed to look like a bend in the road or something, but I've surely never seen it. U+2668 HOT SPRINGS is pleasant, but it's a lot less motivated -- to my mind -- than the DO NOT LITTER SIGN.
Symbols are complex. I'm not afraid of encoding some more of them, and I've sucessfully helped to encoded a number of them over the past couple of years. Neither do I want to encode everything in every symbol font ever made, though.
> Similarly, the fleur-de-lis is a well-known named symbol which can > be used to represent a number of things.
In text? I've seen it on flags, on license plates, on heraldic crests, but can't recall seeing it in text.
I don't have access to a Scout manual here.... ;-)
> I do the best I can. At the end of the day my document won its caseand the five characters were accepted.
So, this isn't a new proposal? These characters have already been accepted? (If so, that's fine.)
It's a revision because there was a bug with some of the sample illustrations. It also differs from its previous version in that it gives new proposed code positions which reflect UTC input.
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Michael Everson * * Everson Typography * * http://www.evertype.com
