Subj : Re: What is a text character in a computer? To : comp.programming From : Thomas G. Marshall Date : Mon Oct 03 2005 04:17 am Roger Willcocks coughed up: > wrote in message > news:1128265260.184168.271910@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com... >> I know all about how binary numbers translate into text characters. >> My question is what exactly IS a text character? Is it a bitmap? >> > > A text character in this context is a drawn shape that probably looks > like a letter. But depending on the font you're indexing into, the > same binary number could select a shape which looks like a blob, or > looks like a chinese ideogram. > > The Postscript language (as used in many printers) uses a two stage > mapping from the binary number to what gets drawn. The first map > (called the 'font encoding') uses the binary number to select a > character name ('A' or '2' or 'colon', for instance); the second map > uses the character name to select a picture of the character. > > Much confusion comes from the (mostly American) assumption that the > mapping from binary number to character name is essentially fixed, No, "essentially fixed" is true. AFAICT, the most of the computing universe still does seem to revolve around 7 or 8 bit ASCII. > although even in that market there are both ascii and ebcdic > encodings. -- Having a dog that is a purebred does not qualify it for breeding. Dogs need to have several generations of clearances for various illnesses before being bred. If you are breeding dogs without taking care as to the genetic quality of the dog (again, being purebred is *not* enough), you are what is known as a "backyard breeder" and are part of the problem. Most of the congenital problems of present day dogs are traceable directly to backyard breeding. Spay or neuter your pet responsibly, and don't just think that you're somehow the exception and can breed a dog without taking the care described. .