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From: info-mac@utcsrgv.UUCP (info-mac)
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Subject: May/June issue of MacWorld--Japanese/Chinese character sets
Message-ID: <4064@utcsrgv.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 27-Apr-84 02:36:40 EST
Article-I.D.: utcsrgv.4064
Posted: Fri Apr 27 02:36:40 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 27-Apr-84 03:16:09 EST
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Date: 26 April 1984 14:43-EST
From: John G. Aspinall <uw-beaver!JGA@MIT-MC>
Subject:  May/June issue of MacWorld--Japanese/Chinese character sets
To: info-mac@SUMEX-AIM
In-Reply-To: Msg of 26 Apr 1984 00:12:24 EST from Tom.Wood at cmu-ri-fas.arpa

    Date: Thursday, 26 April 1984 00:12:24 EST
    From: Tom.Wood at cmu-ri-fas.arpa

        In fact, the MacWorld article does have a little bit to say about
    Japanese character sets (reprinted here w/o permission) . . .

     "Rossman admits that it's going to take a lot of work to get the Japanese 
   version out: `Remember, it will be the first time that Japanese people type.
   There is no standard for that task because all business communication in
   Japan is handwritten.'  He estimates that Japanese Macs will be available in
   six to ten months.

" the first time that Japanese people type " ??!?
" all business communication in Japan is handwritten " ??!?

If Apple really believes this, they ought to be laughed out of the
country.  JISCII (yes, like ASCII), which has been around since the
mid-sixties, provides a machine-readable representation of the
phonetic alphabet (kana) of 50 or so characters.  Telegrams and the
like are customarily sent in kana, for instance.

If you desire to access the 8000 odd pictographs (kanji), one can
specify them through their (1, 2, or 3 kana, usually) phonetic
equivalent.  To "type" kanji, you type the kana, then select from the
(usually a small number) of kanji that are offered by the interface.
While this second stage of conversion cries out for innovative user
interfaces, there is no shortage of work in this area.

Mr. Rossman should run, not walk, to the nearest library and find out
a little about the country in which he wants to sell his product.

John Aspinall.