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Index of Subjects Hi Mark, Some interesting points. I don't know very much about this issue; only enough to know that the whole multilingual and alternative character set ion the Internet is a somewhat thorny and complicated one. I'm not sure how easy a resolution it has. Perhaps you could strike a quick ad-hoc group of people knowledgeable and interested in this issue who could prepare a kind of comprehensive FAQ on the topic that we could have on the sytem (if this isn't already there)? I know that Ed Dyer, , Norman DeForest & you have some knowledge on this front. Perhaps your collected wisdom could enlighten us all?! Cheers! Chris _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._. Christopher Majka <aa051@chebucto.ns.ca> Editor-in-Chief: Chebucto Community Net - Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada URL = http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Home.html "We have ... in this country ... far too many captive editors who cannot even be heard to rattle their chains." -- Carl E. Lindstrom _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._. On Sun, 25 Oct 1998, Mark Rushton wrote: > Hi everyone, > > Below is a note sent by a friend of mine to UserHelp. She forwarded the > reply from userhelp to me for "translation". ;-) > > See my comments following; > > > Dear helpers, > > > > I have been receiving e-mail in Spanish from Latin America, but when the > > message gets here it's got strange signs in the places where the accents > > should be. Also, when I write in Spanish I don't know how to find accents > > and other signs (like the ~ over the letter n, which is used a great deal > > in Spanish). > > > > When I get the messages from Latin America they come with something that > > may give you a clue but which means nothing to me. It says ISO-8859-1. > > Okay - Norman DeForest replied with a wonderfully detailed, six-or-so page > response which will probably solve her problem. Some excerpts: > > >There are two approaches to viewing accented characters on CCN: > >1. Change your CCN configuration so it will convert the characters to ones > > your system can see properly or > >2. Change your system so it will properly display these characters. > <SNIP> > >Some users have reported success in configuring their system to use > >IBM code page 850 instead of the default IBM character set and choosing > >that in their lynx configuration. It includes all of the characters in > >the ISO Latin 1 character set but just in a different order so require > >translating. > <SNIP> > >I have created a VGA font with the ISO Latin 1 character set that may > >help you browse the 'net and be able to view the accented characters > >properly if you use a shell account and lynx, such as on the Chebucto > >Community Net. If you download the freeware FPMAN220 font package from > >the Simtel Archives at > > ftp://ftp.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/msdos/vga/fpman220.zip > >and my ANSICHRW.FNT font file in zipped form from: > > http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~af380/ansichrw.zip > >you can then use TELIX for DOS (or some other DOS-based terminal programme) > >with the Chebucto Community Net and be able to view the high accented > >characters properly. > > <Considerable more info removed for brevity's sake> > > Norman - great job! Lots of info. However, that's also part of what I see > as a problem. this user is a person with little computer experience > (WordPerfect and that''s about it) with a low frustration level for > technical things. When I'm able to find a few free moments, I'll visit her > home and try to get her IBM-XT dinosaur to follow your lead. But it would > be useful for our users on the one hand, and tech-support people on the > other, to simplify this process. > > Since we're now a bilingual site, and as a society have multilingual users, > is there any way we can take the "tech" out of this process, and offer a > "one-stop-shopping" user resource page where selecting language capability > is a simple as clicking (following) a particular link? Certainly, > installing the VGA font Norman describes above requires some user > competence, but insofar as Lynx and Pine are concerned - maybe a script or > something? My friend took one look at that sheet of instructions, > especially the cryptic (to her) bit about a "VGA font" ..."ISO Latin > 1"..."shell account"... "FPMAN 220 Font Package".... (and a ftp addresses), > and (after first voicing her appreciation for the effort the userhelp > people put into the response) threw up her hands - then called me! > > Yes, you see it now, I'm just trying to simplify my already-out-of-control > life. > > Thanks to Norman - if this is the level of detail our userhelp team > provides, we certainly can consider ourselves one of the best-supported > ISPs in town! > > regards, > > Mark. >
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