Xref: utzoo comp.sys.ibm.pc:30909 sci.astro:4364
Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!att!mtuxo!mtgzz!drutx!druhi!terrell
From: terrell@druhi.ATT.COM (TerrellE)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc,sci.astro
Subject: Internationalization of Software?
Message-ID: <4380@druhi.ATT.COM>
Date: 30 Jun 89 19:05:23 GMT
Reply-To: terrell@druhi.ATT.COM (TerrellE)
Organization: AT&T, Denver, CO
Lines: 50



I know that there are some modifications that I will have to perform to 
"internationalize" software products developed for use in the USA.  
These changes include the obvious (translate the program
and documentation into the right language).  However, some of the
other changes are more subtle.  I'm sure that I've overlooked some, but
here's what I have so far:

Necessary changes to "internationalize" a software product:

1.	Flexible date format:

	dd/mm/yy
	yy/dd/mm
	yy/mm/dd
	mm/dd/yy

2.	Handle foreign daylight savings time.

3.	Flexible radix (decimal) point (i.e. '.' or ','):

	3.14159
	3,14159

4.	Allow English or Metric units.

5.	Use "one thousand million" rather than "one billion".

6.	Flexible time format:

	hh:mm
	hh.mm
	hh'mm

7.	Allow either ' ' or ',' for thousands delimiters:

	1,000,000
	1 000 000
	

What else is necessary?  Overseas users:  what changes would you make
to your "US Version" software to make it approprate for use in other
countries?

I'll post a summary of the results.  Thanks in advance,



Eric Terrell	(att!druhi!terrell)