X-Git-Url: http://git.onelab.eu/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=Documentation%2Funicode.txt;h=4a33f81cadb10165fad3ca7014f83b54f492a4bb;hb=6a77f38946aaee1cd85eeec6cf4229b204c15071;hp=61242c097559fc2d85599573e8914a080f23296d;hpb=87fc8d1bb10cd459024a742c6a10961fefcef18f;p=linux-2.6.git diff --git a/Documentation/unicode.txt b/Documentation/unicode.txt index 61242c097..4a33f81ca 100644 --- a/Documentation/unicode.txt +++ b/Documentation/unicode.txt @@ -1,3 +1,13 @@ + Last update: 2005-01-17, version 1.4 + +This file is maintained by H. Peter Anvin as part +of the Linux Assigned Names And Numbers Authority (LANANA) project. +The current version can be found at: + + http://www.lanana.org/docs/unicode/unicode.txt + + ------------------------ + The Linux kernel code has been rewritten to use Unicode to map characters to fonts. By downloading a single Unicode-to-font table, both the eight-bit character sets and UTF-8 mode are changed to use @@ -18,6 +28,10 @@ might be completely different than the IBM character set. This permits for example the use of block graphics even with a Latin-1 font loaded. +Note that although these codes are similar to ISO 2022, neither the +codes nor their uses match ISO 2022; Linux has two 8-bit codes (G0 and +G1), whereas ISO 2022 has four 7-bit codes (G0-G3). + In accordance with the Unicode standard/ISO 10646 the range U+F000 to U+F8FF has been reserved for OS-wide allocation (the Unicode Standard refers to this as a "Corporate Zone", since this is inaccurate for @@ -26,18 +40,20 @@ point since it lets the direct-mapping area start on a large power of two (in case 1024- or 2048-character fonts ever become necessary). This leaves U+E000 to U+EFFF as End User Zone. -The Unicodes in the range U+F000 to U+F1FF have been hard-coded to map -directly to the loaded font, bypassing the translation table. The -user-defined map now defaults to U+F000 to U+F1FF, emulating the -previous behaviour. This range may expand in the future should it be -warranted. +[v1.2]: The Unicodes range from U+F000 and up to U+F7FF have been +hard-coded to map directly to the loaded font, bypassing the +translation table. The user-defined map now defaults to U+F000 to +U+F0FF, emulating the previous behaviour. In practice, this range +might be shorter; for example, vgacon can only handle 256-character +(U+F000..U+F0FF) or 512-character (U+F000..U+F1FF) fonts. + Actual characters assigned in the Linux Zone -------------------------------------------- -In addition, the following characters not present in Unicode 1.1.4 (at -least, I have not found them!) have been defined; these are used by -the DEC VT graphics map: +In addition, the following characters not present in Unicode 1.1.4 +have been defined; these are used by the DEC VT graphics map. [v1.2] +THIS USE IS OBSOLETE AND SHOULD NO LONGER BE USED; PLEASE SEE BELOW. U+F800 DEC VT GRAPHICS HORIZONTAL LINE SCAN 1 U+F801 DEC VT GRAPHICS HORIZONTAL LINE SCAN 3 @@ -48,31 +64,30 @@ The DEC VT220 uses a 6x10 character matrix, and these characters form a smooth progression in the DEC VT graphics character set. I have omitted the scan 5 line, since it is also used as a block-graphics character, and hence has been coded as U+2500 FORMS LIGHT HORIZONTAL. -However, I left U+F802 blank should the need arise. -Klingon language support ------------------------- +[v1.3]: These characters have been officially added to Unicode 3.2.0; +they are added at U+23BA, U+23BB, U+23BC, U+23BD. Linux now uses the +new values. -Unfortunately, Unicode/ISO 10646 does not allocate code points for the -language Klingon, probably fearing the potential code point explosion -if many fictional languages were submitted for inclusion. There are -also political reasons (the Japanese, for example, are not too happy -about the whole 16-bit concept to begin with.) However, with Linux -being a hacker-driven OS it seems this is a brilliant linguistic hack -worth supporting. Hence I have chosen to add it to the list in the -Linux Zone. +[v1.2]: The following characters have been added to represent common +keyboard symbols that are unlikely to ever be added to Unicode proper +since they are horribly vendor-specific. This, of course, is an +excellent example of horrible design. -Several glyph forms for the Klingon alphabet have been proposed. -However, since the set of symbols appear to be consistent throughout, -with only the actual shapes being different, in keeping with standard -Unicode practice these differences are considered font variants. +U+F810 KEYBOARD SYMBOL FLYING FLAG +U+F811 KEYBOARD SYMBOL PULLDOWN MENU +U+F812 KEYBOARD SYMBOL OPEN APPLE +U+F813 KEYBOARD SYMBOL SOLID APPLE -Klingon has an alphabet of 26 characters, a positional numeric writing -system with 10 digits, and is written left-to-right, top-to-bottom. -Punctuation appears to be only used in Latin transliteration; it -appears customary to write each sentence on its own line, and -centered. Space has been reserved for punctuation should it prove -necessary. +Klingon language support +------------------------ + +In 1996, Linux was the first operating system in the world to add +support for the artificial language Klingon, created by Marc Okrand +for the "Star Trek" television series. This encoding was later +adopted by the ConScript Unicode Registry and proposed (but ultimately +rejected) for inclusion in Unicode Plane 1. Thus, it remains as a +Linux/CSUR private assignment in the Linux Zone. This encoding has been endorsed by the Klingon Language Institute. For more information, contact them at: @@ -84,6 +99,19 @@ of the dingbats/symbols/forms type and this is a language, I have located it at the end, on a 16-cell boundary in keeping with standard Unicode practice. +NOTE: This range is now officially managed by the ConScript Unicode +Registry. The normative reference is at: + + http://www.evertype.com/standards/csur/klingon.html + +Klingon has an alphabet of 26 characters, a positional numeric writing +system with 10 digits, and is written left-to-right, top-to-bottom. + +Several glyph forms for the Klingon alphabet have been proposed. +However, since the set of symbols appear to be consistent throughout, +with only the actual shapes being different, in keeping with standard +Unicode practice these differences are considered font variants. + U+F8D0 KLINGON LETTER A U+F8D1 KLINGON LETTER B U+F8D2 KLINGON LETTER CH @@ -124,16 +152,24 @@ U+F8F7 KLINGON DIGIT SEVEN U+F8F8 KLINGON DIGIT EIGHT U+F8F9 KLINGON DIGIT NINE +U+F8FD KLINGON COMMA +U+F8FE KLINGON FULL STOP +U+F8FF KLINGON SYMBOL FOR EMPIRE + Other Fictional and Artificial Scripts -------------------------------------- Since the assignment of the Klingon Linux Unicode block, a registry of -fictional and artificial scripts has been established by John Cowan, -. The ConScript Unicode Registry is accessible at -http://locke.ccil.org/~cowan/csur/; the ranges used fall at the bottom -of the End User Zone and can hence not be normatively assigned, but it -is recommended that people who wish to encode fictional scripts use -these codes, in the interest of interoperability. For Klingon, CSUR -has adopted the Linux encoding. - - H. Peter Anvin +fictional and artificial scripts has been established by John Cowan + and Michael Everson . +The ConScript Unicode Registry is accessible at: + + http://www.evertype.com/standards/csur/ + +The ranges used fall at the low end of the End User Zone and can hence +not be normatively assigned, but it is recommended that people who +wish to encode fictional scripts use these codes, in the interest of +interoperability. For Klingon, CSUR has adopted the Linux encoding. +The CSUR people are driving adding Tengwar and Cirth into Unicode +Plane 1; the addition of Klingon to Unicode Plane 1 has been rejected +and so the above encoding remains official.