On 25/01/07, Andy Pepperdine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
On Thursday 25 January 2007 12:01, Dan Lewis wrote:
> Let me jump into this discussion one more time. Is there an
> English font you can use that displays Arabic numerals? Is there an
> Arabic font you can use that displays Hindi numerals?
I'm guessing here so could be wrong. Looking, for example, at
http://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U0600.pdf
In that document, the numerals for 4, and 6 are different that those
that I am familiar with. Maybe different areas use slightly different
Hindi characters?
indicates that perhaps the numerals used are in different parts of the Unicode
space according to the language in use. So it is quite reasonable to ask that
the numbers are selected appropriately.
Yes, I argee with that completely, assuming that they are in fact
different unicode values. However, I tend to think that the unicode
values are for the purpose of forcing the display of the Hindi
character, rather than specifying a number.
Just like I prefer to read the Cryllic T with one leg rather than
three, and my friend Igor prefers the fancy three legged T, different
people will prefer different numerical charcters. But when Igor sends
me a document in Russian I can change my font to Tahoma (Oh, trusty
Tahoma, even if it is an MS font) and see one-legged T's. Ahmed in
Egypt may send Iman in Lebanon a document, and the numbers should
appear in Iman's prefered characters, not Ahmeds.
Numbers as appear on the keyboard are integers, they represent value.
That value can be expressed via Arabic numerals, Hindi numerals, any
arbitrary urinary symbol, or even words. The display of that value is
independant of the value itself. That is why the clock on my KDE
desktop litterally has written on it "Quarter to Four". I'll post a
screenshot if you'd like. The KDE desktop applet takes the integers
and displays them as I'd like them, which happens to be wordy. Not
many clocks can do that, but the data (time) supports it.
It's not just a font issue, but a
need to tie the unicode points used in the numbering of lists etc. to the
language in use there. Locales are no use; it has to be part of the document
contents as it moves around the globe.
The value has to be part of the document, not the display. If I tell
you I want "o" horses, will you assume that I want zero horses or five
horses? Those accustomed to Arabic numerals will see that as zero
horses, but those accustomed to Hindi numerals will see that as five
horses.
Time for an issue?
Yes, time!
Dotan Cohen
http://what-is-what.com/what_is/opera.html
http://lyricslist.com/lyrics/lyrics/139/12/aaliyah/aaliyah.html
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