Path: utzoo!utstat!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!math.lsa.umich.edu!sharkey!umich!ox.com!itivax!hela!hela.iti.org!scs From: scs@iti.org (Steve Simmons) Newsgroups: news.software.b Subject: Re: Time for 8 bit news, isn't it?????. Message-ID: Date: 23 Jul 90 16:29:08 GMT References: <777@hades.ausonics.oz.au> <1990Jul21.083046.13075@squirrel.mh.nl> <1990Jul21.174535.8281@lokkur.dexter.mi.us> <1864@tkou02.enet.dec.com> Organization: Industrial Technology Institute Lines: 40 diamond@tkou02.enet.dec.com (diamond@tkovoa) writes: >In article <1990Jul21.174535.8281@lokkur.dexter.mi.us> scs@lokkur.dexter.mi.us (Steve Simmons) writes: >>The sarcasm lamp is now lit. :-) >Not mine though. (I have a large sarcasm lamp but it's not lit this time.) *chuckle* I was kind of looking forward to it... :-) >>Of course, there aren't many of us reading the current news >>who want to read those kanji, katakana, and ghu-only-knows what other >>variants. >There sure are. I can't read them very well, but there are many who do. 'Many' here is a relative term. And my sarcastic point (which you quote in the next note) is that use of national language sets for the purpose of using foreign languages is largely irrelevant to those who do not speak that language. I freely admit english postings are of little interest to non-english speakers. :-) >You're right; you aren't forced. If you don't, then the rest of the >world will leave you behind. But you aren't forced. I agree with you -- things will change here (USA, Canada, UK, Australia, NZ) only when there is sufficient software available and things worth reading which require 8bit (or more). >>Hey, news is ASCII-based, written in english-speaking countries for >>english-speaking readers. >This was true 10 years ago. And it's 90 or 95% true today. 100% of all news transport interfaces were done originally by English speakers using ASCII *or* deliberately designed to be compatible with same. 80 or 90% of newsreaders are the same, the only exception I know of is nn (which, by the by, is the best damn fine newsreader around) (and for all I know was written by a native English speaker).