Subject: Re: [idn] Internet Driver Open Letter on Internationalized Domain Names

From: Eric Brunner-Williams in Portland Maine <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2001 12:39:26 -0500

Someone recently dumped a corporate press release in this mailing list. 

I'll stick to the content issues.

> ... We are concerned
> ... singular focus
> on Unicode ...

That is a concern that I share. Others do as well. Unfortunately, concern
isn't sufficient to provide alterntives, or consensus on any subset of any
potential alternatives. Until there is, the summary of "no alternatives"
is functionally correct. I failed to observe the encoding alternative(s)
espoused as alternative(s).

> UBC (Unicode-based conversion) converts non-Latin based domain names into
> meaningless ...

True for some transformation encoding syntax possibilities, e.g., ACE
generally, and false for transformation encoding syntax possibilities,
e.g., UTF generally, if the original coded character set is consistent
with the UCS.

> This approach creates ...

Are any examples of the created things known to anyone?

> Another seldom considered issue is a standard for e-mail
> addresses. ...

True for some architectural possibilities, e.g., applications generally,
and false for some architectural possibilities, e.g., an EHLO extension
in infrastructure generally. (IDNA vs "Binary"). 

> ... A similar challenge arises in creating and
> accessing non-Latin script sub-site addresses. ...

How?

This "open letter" is the dumbest "event" of this ICANN meeting cycle, and
there is some competition (though not as much as general rule).

Back from MdR,
Eric