Re: [OSLIST] ¿Algo en español...?

[Artur Ferreira da Silva]

Hola Jaime y Ashley

Nice to read your words in Spanish. I imagine that some people in this list
think that I am crazy about languages (which is probably true...). At least
now I am not alone... And I think that Michael Herman will accept your
offer, Jaime, and ask you to contribute in Spanish to the OSworld site.

At 11:25 25-06-2003 -0700, Ashley Cooper wrote:

>tengo una pregunta en su mensaje unas palabras parece diferente que las
>mismas en un otra "font". ?hay especiales letras o solamente para el
>computador?
>
>alg?n ofrec? franc?s
>algún  ofrecí  francés

My computer expertise is outdated, but I think what follows to still be true.

Some languages have special symbols that do not existe in English and are
added to the normal ocidental letters. In Portuguese, for instance, we can
use tildes above the "a" or "o" - but not above the "n" like in Spanish.
And of course other languages have a completelly different set of caracters.

When computers where first invented all keybords where "american style" and
the "code page" used to codify the different characters inside the computer
(including the ones that come from the keyboard or to the screen) was
"american".

Later, each country with special characters defined a different keyboard
(reusing spaces of the american keyboard that were not essencial) and
different code pages. The point is that the portuguese code page (and
keyboard) is different in Portugal and Brasil (the same for some different
Spanish speaking countries). Some years ago to send a message from Portugal
to Brazil one could't use the special characters as they will be translate
into a different character - normally non existing.

I suspect that comunication software is now, in some cases, able to
understand and translate signals codified in one code page to a different
one, when that is possible.

 From time to time I used to do a test that I will repeat now. In the last
line before my signature I will write a line with many Portuguese special
characters. Can all of you please see if you can receive them well, and
answer to me PRIVATELLY sending me back the same line (you too, Lucy
please). I will report back the results.

Now the test line:

Á À Â Ã á à â ã ç é è ê ç ó ò õ ô ç

Artur

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