On Mon, 27 Oct 2003, Keith Moore wrote: > what problem are we trying to solve here? I agree with Keith. This isn't to say that I dispute that there is a problem to be solved -- indeed, I think that the problem is apparent to all -- but we must have a problem statement that we all agree upon before we even think about solutions. I don't think that references to drafts of proposed solutions suffice as a problem statement. Leaving aside questions of possible bias (= present a problem in such a way that this is the obvious best solution), having the problem statement in a draft (which by its nature is an ephemeral document) muddies the issues. The problem statement should consist of a single paragraph (and preferably in one or two sentences), separate from any proposed solution, and stated in a charter which is approved by everyone. Here's a start at such a statement: As presently constituted, email addresses are limited to the 26 Latin alphabetics, 10 digits, and a limited number of special characters in the ASCII character set. There is a growing need to use additional characters, specifically Latin characters with diacriticals and non-Latin characters, in email addresses to better serve the needs of the multi-national Internet community. However, the restrictions of ASCII email addresses have served as a "lingua franca" since everybody can enter ASCII email addresses, and there is an ongoing need for this as well. The problem to be solved is the resolution of these two needs. -- Mark -- http://staff.washington.edu/mrc Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate. Si vis pacem, para bellum.
