From rinehuls@access.digex.net Mon Oct 7 20:47:53 1996 Received: from access2.digex.net (qlrhmEbBUV1EY@access2.digex.net [205.197.245.193]) by dkuug.dk (8.6.12/8.6.12) with ESMTP id UAA09337 for ; Mon, 7 Oct 1996 20:47:49 +0100 Received: from localhost (rinehuls@localhost) by access2.digex.net (8.6.12/8.6.12) with SMTP id PAA16690 ; for ; Mon, 7 Oct 1996 15:47:39 -0400 Date: Mon, 7 Oct 1996 15:47:38 -0400 (EDT) From: "william c. rinehuls" X-Sender: rinehuls@access2.digex.net To: sc22docs@dkuug.dk Subject: SC22 N2295 - NWI for API Internationalization Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII _________________beginning of title page _______________________________ ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC22 Programming languages, their environments and system software interfaces Secretariat: U.S.A. (ANSI) ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC22 N2295 October 1996 TITLE: Proposal for a NWI for SC22 on: Internationalization Application Program Interface (API) Standard SOURCE: Secretariat, ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC22 WORK ITEM: N/A STATUS: N/A CROSS REFERENCE: SC22 N2298, 2301 DOCUMENT TYPE: Proposal for a NWI ACTION: To SC22 Member Bodies for information. Action was taken on this request at the September 1996 JTC 1/SC22 Plenary Address reply to: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC22 Secretariat William C. Rinehuls 8457 Rushing Creek Court Springfield, VA 22153 Tel: +1 (703) 912-9680 Fax: +1 (703) 912-2973 email: rinehuls@access.digex.net __________________end of title page, beginning of text _________________ ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22 N2295R Title: NP for Internationalization API standard Source: SC22 Date: 1996-09-27 Status: SC contribution Project: New project Action: For JTC1 letter ballot SC22 requests JTC1 to approve the following project and assign it to SC22 for development. 1. Title Application Program Interfaces (APIs) for internationalization. 2. Scope A Language Independent API standard on internationalization services with a normative binding for the programming language C, and possibly one or more informational bindings to other programming languages. The services defined will be: coded character set invocation service coded character set handling service character repertoire invocation service character repertoire handling service cultural convention set invocation service cultural convention set handling service string handling service message service compare sort and search service character classification service case mapping service transliteration service date format service time format service day numbering service week numbering service numeric format service currency format service 3. Purpose and justification JTC1 has assigned the project JTC1.22.30 "Functionality for Internationalization of Applications" for development to JTC1/SC22 in its WG20. It is proposed to establish a new project to produce a stan- dard with the specific contents here mentioned. The standard will be on Application Program Interfaces (APIs) in a Language Independent form, which interfaces to the inter- nationalization (i18n) data specified with the cultural conven- tions specification standard. The API standard will provide uniform semantics and access to the registered cultural conven- tion-sets, in order to enable consistent behaviour across programming languages and environments. Programming languages binding to the i18n API standard will benefit from the standard proposed, as they can rely on data provided by the user, instead of building in all the support in the language itself, and they can reuse the design of the i18n model from WG20 and be aligned with other programming languages binding to this API standard, instead of inventing their own i18n functionality. The standard is important as the use of computers is moving very rapidly from a primarily professional, American/European oriented, user base to a much more general use, encompassing users from a wide range of cultures and speaking many different languages. 4. Programme of Work An international standard is expected to be developed for this project. 5. Relevant documents to be considered ISO/IEC DTR 11017 Framework for Internationalization ISO/IEC 9945-2:1993 POSIX Shell and Utilities ISO/IEC 10646-1:1993 Universal Multi-Octet Coded Character Set ISO/IEC 9899:1993 Programming language C ISO/IEC 11404:1996 Language Independent Data Types ISO/IEC 13886:1996 Language Independent Procedure Calls ISO/IEC CD 14651 International String Ordering ISO/IEC CD 14652 Specification for Cultural Conventions 6. Cooperation and liaison ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2 Character sets and Information coding All ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22 WGs Other ISO/IEC JTC1 SCs where appropriate. 7. Preparatory work offered with target date(s) It is proposed that the project be assigned to JTC1/SC22/WG20. A CD document will be ready for registration 24 months after approval of the project by JTC1. Keld Simonsen (Denmark) is the proposed editor for this stan- dard. There will not be a need for a maintenance agency nor a regi- stration authority for this project. There are no known requirements for coding for this proposed standard. The proposed standard does not concern known patented items. Statement on specific API questions for the NP With respect to the requirement in the JTC1 directives for NPs on APIs, the following statements are made: a) SC22 is responsible for the underlying services of the APIs. b) SC22 is responsible for the involved programming languages c) The APIs do not require extensions to existing programming languages or services, but programming languages may chose to extend the language in their binding. d) The kind of expertise required to develop the APIs is in the area of internationalization and binding techniques. e) There are resources available in WG20 and WG14 and in other SC22 WGs, that are contributing to the work. f) The relationship to other work in the SC22 is that the API will interface to data as specified in IS 14652, which is based on work in IS 9945-2. The APIs will use input from IS 9899 and other programming language standards. The framework in TR 11017 will be used. g) It is believed that appropriate expertise will be available for the draft API specification, as it is expected that at least 6 member bodies will participate, and there is also support from the European Union and industry and academic community in the project "Multilingual Application Interfaces for Telematic Services - MAITS". ______________end of document SC22 N2295 ______________________________