Re: UTF-8, UTF-16 and UTF-32

[Andrew Haley <aph at redhat dot com>]

Dallas Clarke wrote:
> There is a solution that will please everyone and your stance for not
> doing it is at it break the ABI, but haven't we learnt anything for the
> 2/4 byte int type debacle of several decades ago - why would you want to
> go through that all over again.

If it breaks the ABI then it isn't a solution that will please everyone,
is it?

> You argue why only GCC, although MSVC++ is using 2-byte wchar_t, Borland
> C++ Builder has a policy of conforming to MSVC++ and most likely already
> uses 2-byte wchar_t, Sun Studio will most like bend to the market
> reality and that will leave GCC.

I think we've been over this already.  gcc doesn't decide this; it's
part of the system ABI.

> In this solution there is something for everyone, the Chinese can write
> their source code in visible Mandarin in UTF-16 or UTF-32, not in
> hexadecimal ASCII. The Europeans can save a few bytes by writing in
> UTF-8. We can all process files in any of the Unicode text formats from
> any OS. No one need to implement dodgy string conversion routines that
> must allocate memory and not release it. We can use constant string in
> function parameters - such as strcmp(string,"answer"), rather then
> allocating and initialising vectors every time.

I note that you have, several times, failed to answer some of the points
that people have made.  I'm going to try again.  The Chinese, Europeans,
and everyone else, can use UTF-8.  You have alleged several times that
UTF-8 is in some way deficient, but have never replied when challenged
as to why.

> Why not support all three Unicode formats?

We can support all of them.  I just don't think that the compiler itself
needs to change in order to do it.

> If it breaks the ABI, then
> the ABI needs to be broken. We are all responsible for our own actions
> and lettings someone else make bad decisions for us, we are just as
> liable as if we made the decision ourselves.

Sure, but you so far have failed to convince anyone that a bad decision
has been made.

Andrew.