Next week may begin a test of non-English Internet addresses, enabling local users to create Web pages and domains. If successful, non-English top-level domains, such as ".com" or ".net", could be used by the finish of 2008. ICANN, the group charged with Internet names, said they will test domains in Arabic, Persian, simplified and traditional Chinese, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Greek, Yiddish, Hindi and Tamil.
ICANN said it will use Punycode software to translate the languages into Latin alphabetic and numeric codes understood by "root" servers which act as Internet traffic cops. If the plan is approved, the tests could begin after next week, the AP said. However, the agency will maintain a 24-hour hotline allowing the tests to shut down if problems arise.
News source: AHN Media Corp
ICANN said it will use Punycode software to translate the languages into Latin alphabetic and numeric codes understood by "root" servers which act as Internet traffic cops. If the plan is approved, the tests could begin after next week, the AP said. However, the agency will maintain a 24-hour hotline allowing the tests to shut down if problems arise.
News source: AHN Media Corp
Please think before you post, or avoid commenting on subjects that you know completely nothing about.
There was the pаypal.com problem. Cut and paste that into your browser, and you will find that it does not go to the paypal.com site you expect, because it uses a punycode "а".
EDIT: Reference site with explanation: http://www.askbjoernhansen.com/2005/02/08/...it_not_a_l.html
For example, on my Swedish keyboard, I have no trouble typing an ë or ÿ or ê, etc, only by using a single extra key added to the keyboard. And we don't even have this letters in our language.
But sure, this may not apply to certain countries, like USA. I also don't know if this is common throughout Europe or just around here. *shrug*
But I hear you on the topic of Cyrillic or e.g. Arabic. This is an issue these were forced to deal with as for Latin characters a long time ago.
For example, on my Swedish keyboard, I have no trouble typing an ë or ÿ or ê, etc, only by using a single extra key added to the keyboard. And we don't even have this letters in our language.
But sure, this may not apply to certain countries, like USA. I also don't know if this is common throughout Europe or just around here. *shrug*
But I hear you on the topic of Cyrillic or e.g. Arabic. This is an issue these were forced to deal with as for Latin characters a long time ago.
Yeah I know about the "dead keys" like in MS Word Ctrl+' then an I types an í but its those languages that use script or character letters/words that are the problem
The problem still stands, most users don't know about those combinations and most US keyboards don't have dead keys capabilities, at least that are known to average users.
Domains being mostly ISO coded and not always English (South Africa -> .za, etc) makes this more being a character set / culture thing than a language thing.
But then again, I'm nitpicking.
Imagine the chaos if airports/seaports all used native tongues instead of English.
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