Subj : Re: What is a text character in a computer? To : comp.programming From : Thomas G. Marshall Date : Mon Oct 03 2005 02:26 pm Roger Willcocks coughed up: > "Thomas G. Marshall" > wrote in > message news:ip10f.14973$J03.1423@trndny05... >> Roger Willcocks coughed up: > >>> 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. >> > > Case proven, I believe. ASCII = _American_ standard code for > information interchange. Ok. Ironically, I helped develop a postscript interpreter early on when there were hardly any others than adobe, and I'm also a Java engineer. Both lend themselves to far broader notions than ascii. IMO I think you're probably very correct regarding such bias and misunderstanding; mine as well. I'll not lay as much gasoline as I certainly could for the likely ensuing flamewar regarding /why/ that exists except to say that much of that bias is for very good historical reason. Like it or not, America always drove the computing landscape, and this causes ire among engineers of all the other countries. Arogance? Sure, I suppose. ....[rip]... .