On 06/16/2011 12:00 PM, Hamish MacEwan wrote:
If the success of the effort were to be measured by uptake I'd agree with that conclusion. If instead, and I'm sure you and RAG appreciated that, it is considered in the wider context of supporting the use of one of NZ's official languages in domain names, it cannot fail.
Agreed. It has resulted in an infrastructure that can be expanded in the future to support any character set. There was speculation in the discussions that if Chinese glyphs were allowed we might see significant activity. Whilst they are not currently allowed, I understand they could be supported relatively easily now.
Even now, if I ask even computer literate folks how to type a macronised character on their computer I get a rather blank look.
I suspect you're polling the wrong identity group. Those who work regularly with the language will probably know very well how to elicit it from the standard keyboard.
Quite possibly. But with respect to email, it isn't just people in that 'identity group' who may want to communicate with you and if they can't easily enter the domain in the address ....
As Blair has noted, IDN had to start somewhere, and it has, that the downstream has neglected it is regrettable.
For those I talked with that were actually interested in an IDN, email was the biggest concern. I don't know whether support in the common clients (and MTAs) is any better than it was a year ago. I haven't looked at it since then. -- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Glen Eustace GodZone Internet Services, a division of AGRE Enterprises Ltd. P.O. Box 8020, Palmerston North, New Zealand 4446. Ph: +64 6 357 8168, Fax +64 6 357 8165, Mob: +64 27 542 4015 http://www.godzone.net.nz "A Ministry specialising in providing low-cost Internet Services to NZ Christian Churches, Ministries and Organisations."