[Unicode Announcement] New Public Review Issue #147: Proposed Deprecation of U+0673 ARABIC LETTER ALEF WITH WAVY HAMZA BELOW

The Unicode Technical Committee has posted a new issue for public
review and comment. Details are on the following web page:

http://www.unicode.org/review/

Review periods for the new item closes on August 3, 2009.

Please see the page for links to discussion and relevant documents.
Briefly, the new issue is:

PRI #147: Proposed Deprecation of U+0673 ARABIC LETTER ALEF WITH WAVY
HAMZA BELOW

The UTC has recently approved a proposal to encode an ARABIC WAVY HAMZA
BELOW for a future version of the Unicode Standard. That character is
used productively in Kashmiri and other languages, and is applied to
letters other than ALEF. The intent is to deprecate the existing
character U+0673 ARABIC LETTER ALEF WITH WAVY HAMZA BELOW, in favor of
the sequence of an ALEF plus the new ARABIC WAVY HAMZA BELOW. (Because
of normalization stability constraints, a canonical equivalence relation
cannot be established.)

The UTC is seeking feedback on whether U+0673 should be deprecated when
ARABIC WAVY HAMZA BELOW is encoded. Pertinent information would include
data on how widespread usage of this character is. Note that deprecation
of a character does not mean removal of that character from the
standard; it merely constitutes a strong recommendation not to use the
character.

If you have comments for official UTC consideration, please post them by
submitting your comments through our feedback & reporting page:

http://www.unicode.org/reporting.html

If you wish to discuss issues on the Unicode mail list, then please
use the following link to subscribe (if necessary). Please be aware
that discussion comments on the Unicode mail list are not automatically
recorded as input to the UTC. You must use the reporting link above
to generate comments for UTC consideration.

http://www.unicode.org/consortium/distlist.html

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see http://www.unicode.org/consortium/distlist.html#announcements

[Unicode Announcement] 33rd IUC - Call for Participation Deadline EXTENDED to Thursday, May 28th

33rd Internationalization & Unicode Conference
REMINDER: Call for Participation Deadline EXTENDED to Thursday, May 28th

The Unicode(r) Consortium announces a call for participation in The Thirty-third Internationalization & Unicode(r) Conference (IUC 33), taking place in San Jose, Calif., USA; October 14-16, 2009. The call for participation runs until Thursday, May 28. The annual conference is produced by OMG(tm). Details about the conference and the call for participation are available at http://www.unicodeconference.org/iuc33call.

The Internationalization & Unicode Conference is the premier annual technical conference focusing on multilingual, global software and Web internationalization. Each IUC conference features a variety of tutorials and conference sessions that cover current topics related to Web and software internationalization, globalization, and Unicode.

IUC 33 will include sessions with a special focus on emerging technologies, social networks, cloud computing, evolving standards, and best practices in internationalization for management, development and testing. Organizations are specifically invited to submit proposals on their real-world experiences with globalization efforts. The conference Program Committee is also seeking technical and business-focused presentations on case studies, experience reports, evaluations or research papers on topics relevant to (but not limited to):

New and upcoming globalization, internationalization and Unicode technologies
Internationalized Domain Names
Implementation of Unicode, including new scripts and characters in Unicode 5.1
Current state of font development with regard to Unicode
Unicode in "the cloud"
Social networking and its impact on globalization and internationalization issues
Unicode conformance and international standards compliance issues
Common Locale Data Repository (CLDR)
Internationalization or enabling of applications or Web sites
Working with multilingual text and data
Global development best practices
Security and data-exchange issues
Business cases and technical issues for globalized software
Publishing and broadcasting for a global audience
Encoding and Internationalization challenges for governments
Unicode in the library and in university curricula
Internationalization of Web services and XML-based data formats
Support of South Asian and African languages

Tutorial Sessions are an important part of the conference. The Program Committee is seeking proposals on topics of interest to general software users, to project and program managers, and to technical attendees who need to build basic knowledge of Unicode and software internationalization. Tutorial topics can also include (but aren't limited to):

Best practices in localization process and technology
Users: making the most of international features in common applications
Unicode and internationalization in programming languages
Solutions for handling complex scripts
Platform technologies for internationalization
Program and project management of internationalization
Strategies and best practices for managing multilingual sites & content

Tutorial presenters receive complimentary registration and two nights lodging. Session presenters receive a fifty percent conference discount and two nights lodging. See the web site for full details and restrictions.

Proposals for panel sessions in any of the above areas are also welcomed. Interested individuals or organizations are invited to submit a brief (up to 600 word) abstract of their proposed conference presentation by Thursday, May 28 using this web form: www.unicodeconference.org/abstracts<http://www.unicodeconference.org/abstracts>.

The Program Committee will select presentations for inclusion in the program and notify authors by Tuesday, June 9. Final presentation materials will be required from all selected presenters by Monday August 28. The conference agenda will be available by Friday, June 12, and posted at www.unicodeconference.org.

Sponsorships and exhibit space are available; for more information on sponsoring contact Ken Berk at [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>, +1-781-444 0404. For exhibiting questions email [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. For all other questions email [email protected].

Internationalization and Unicode experts, implementers, clients, teachers and vendors are invited to attend this unique conference. The interactive format makes the Internationalization & Unicode Conference a great place to meet and exchange ideas with leading experts, find out about the needs of potential clients, or get information about new and existing Unicode-enabled products.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About The Unicode Consortium
The Unicode Consortium is a non-profit organization founded to develop, extend and promote use of the Unicode Standard and related globalization standards.

The membership of the consortium represents a broad spectrum of corporations and organizations in the computer and information processing industry. Members are: Adobe Systems, Apple, DENIC eG, Google, Government of India, Government of Tamil Nadu, IBM, Microsoft, Monotype Imaging, NetApp, Oracle, SAP, Sun Microsystems, Society for Natural Language Technology Research, Sybase, The University of California at Berkeley, Yahoo!, plus well over a hundred Associate, Liaison, and Individual members.

For more information, please contact the Unicode Consortium http://www.unicode.org.

About the Event Producer
OMG(tm) is the Event Producer for the Internationalization & Unicode Conferences. OMG is an open membership, not-for-profit consortium that produces and maintains computer industry specifications for interoperable enterprise applications. Our specifications include MDA(r), UML(r), CORBA(r), MOF(tm), XMI(r) and CWM(tm). OMG's specifications are all available for download by everyone without charge.

For more information about OMG, visit us online at http://www.omg.org.

If you would prefer not to receive messages from the OMG, or have address corrections, please reply to this email message, requesting Unsubscribe or describing your address corrections in the body of the text. Please leave subject line intact.

----
All of the Unicode Consortium lists are strictly opt-in lists for members
or interested users of our standards. We make every effort to remove
users who do not wish to receive e-mail from us. To see why you are getting
this mail and how to remove yourself from our lists if you want, please
see http://www.unicode.org/consortium/distlist.html#announcements

[Unicode Announcement] 33rd Internationalization & Unicode Conference - Call for Participation

33rd Internationalization & Unicode Conference
REMINDER: Call for Participation Deadline - Friday, May 22nd

The Unicode(r) Consortium announces a call for participation in The Thirty-third Internationalization & Unicode(r) Conference (IUC 33), taking place in San Jose, Calif., USA; October 14-16, 2009. The call for participation runs until Friday, May 22. The annual conference is produced by OMG(tm). Details about the conference and the call for participation are available at http://www.unicodeconference.org/iuc33call.

The Internationalization & Unicode Conference is the premier annual technical conference focusing on multilingual, global software and Web internationalization. Each IUC conference features a variety of tutorials and conference sessions that cover current topics related to Web and software internationalization, globalization, and Unicode.

IUC 33 will include sessions with a special focus on emerging technologies, social networks, cloud computing, evolving standards, and best practices in internationalization for management, development and testing. Organizations are specifically invited to submit proposals on their real-world experiences with globalization efforts. The conference Program Committee is also seeking technical and business-focused presentations on case studies, experience reports, evaluations or research papers on topics relevant to (but not limited to):

* New and upcoming globalization, internationalization and Unicode technologies

* Internationalized Domain Names

* Implementation of Unicode, including new scripts and characters in Unicode 5.1

* Current state of font development with regard to Unicode

* Unicode in "the cloud"

* Social networking and its impact on globalization and internationalization issues

* Unicode conformance and international standards compliance issues

* Common Locale Data Repository (CLDR)

* Internationalization or enabling of applications or Web sites

* Working with multilingual text and data

* Global development best practices

* Security and data-exchange issues

* Business cases and technical issues for globalized software

* Publishing and broadcasting for a global audience

* Encoding and Internationalization challenges for governments

* Unicode in the library and in university curricula

* Internationalization of Web services and XML-based data formats

* Support of South Asian and African languages

Tutorial Sessions are an important part of the conference. The Program Committee is seeking proposals on topics of interest to general software users, to project and program managers, and to technical attendees who need to build basic knowledge of Unicode and software internationalization. Tutorial topics can also include (but aren't limited to):

* Best practices in localization process and technology

* Users: making the most of international features in common applications

* Unicode and internationalization in programming languages

* Solutions for handling complex scripts

* Platform technologies for internationalization

* Program and project management of internationalization

* Strategies and best practices for managing multilingual sites & content

Tutorial presenters receive complimentary registration and two nights lodging. Session presenters receive a fifty percent conference discount and two nights lodging. See the web site for full details and restrictions.

Proposals for panel sessions in any of the above areas are also welcomed. Interested individuals or organizations are invited to submit a brief (up to 600 word) abstract of their proposed conference presentation by Friday, May 22 using this web form: www.unicodeconference.org/abstracts.

The Program Committee will select presentations for inclusion in the program and notify authors by Tuesday, June 9. Final presentation materials will be required from all selected presenters by Monday August 28. The conference agenda will be available by Friday, June 12, and posted at www.unicodeconference.org.

Sponsorships and exhibit space are available; for more information on sponsoring contact Ken Berk at [email protected], +1-781-444 0404. For exhibiting questions email [email protected]. For all other questions email [email protected].

Internationalization and Unicode experts, implementers, clients, teachers and vendors are invited to attend this unique conference. The interactive format makes the Internationalization & Unicode Conference a great place to meet and exchange ideas with leading experts, find out about the needs of potential clients, or get information about new and existing Unicode-enabled products.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About The Unicode Consortium
The Unicode Consortium is a non-profit organization founded to develop, extend and promote use of the Unicode Standard and related globalization standards.

The membership of the consortium represents a broad spectrum of corporations and organizations in the computer and information processing industry. Members are: Adobe Systems, Apple, DENIC eG, Google, Government of India, Government of Tamil Nadu, IBM, Microsoft, Monotype Imaging, NetApp, Oracle, SAP, Sun Microsystems, Society for Natural Language Technology Research, Sybase, The University of California at Berkeley, Yahoo!, plus well over a hundred Associate, Liaison, and Individual members.

For more information, please contact the Unicode Consortium http://www.unicode.org.

About the Event Producer
OMG(tm) is the Event Producer for the Internationalization & Unicode Conferences. OMG is an open membership, not-for-profit consortium that produces and maintains computer industry specifications for interoperable enterprise applications. Our specifications include MDA(r), UML(r), CORBA(r), MOF(tm), XMI(r) and CWM(tm). OMG's specifications are all available for download by everyone without charge.

For more information about OMG, visit us online at http://www.omg.org.

If you would prefer not to receive messages from the OMG, or have address corrections, please reply to this email message, requesting Unsubscribe or describing your address corrections in the body of the text. Please leave subject line intact.

----
All of the Unicode Consortium lists are strictly opt-in lists for members
or interested users of our standards. We make every effort to remove
users who do not wish to receive e-mail from us. To see why you are getting
this mail and how to remove yourself from our lists if you want, please
see http://www.unicode.org/consortium/distlist.html#announcements

Unicode Releases Common Locale Data Repository, Version 1.7

Mountain View, CA, May 8, 2009 - The Unicode® Consortium announced today the release of the new version of the Unicode Common Locale Data Repository (Unicode CLDR 1.7), providing key building blocks for software to support the world's languages. Unicode CLDR is by far the largest and most extensive standard repository of locale data. This data is used by a wide spectrum of companies for their software internationalization and localization: adapting software to the conventions of different languages for such common software tasks as formatting of dates, times, time zones, numbers, and currency values; sorting text; choosing languages or countries by name; transliterating different alphabets; and many others.

CLDR 1.7 contains data for 146 languages and 159 territories: 468 locales in all. Version 1.7 of the repository contains over 21% more locale data than the previous release, with over 40,000 new or modified data items from over 140 different contributors. Major contributors to CLDR 1.7 include Adobe, Apple, Google, IBM, and Sun, plus official representatives from a number of countries. Many other organizations and volunteers around the globe, including Gnome, Kotoistus, LISA, OpenOffice, and Utilika, have also made important contributions. The data for CLDR is gathered through the CLDR Survey Tool, which allows organizations and volunteers to contribute, compare, and vet locale data. In the development of this release, the process of gathering data was sped up, and the voting process was simplified.

The new features of Unicode CLDR 1.7 include:

• New and improved data, including Indic data.
• Enhanced number system support, including many non-decimal formats as well as spelled-out forms ("twenty-three")
• Postal code format validity
• New IETF BCP 47 (RFC 4646) support
• Calendar preference data
• Improved language population data, and language-script mapping data
• Local DTD access
• Improved currency symbols
• Clarified specification of timezone parsing

Unicode CLDR 1.7 is part of the Unicode locale data project, together with the Unicode Locale Data Markup Language (LDML: http://unicode.org/reports/tr35/). LDML is an XML format used for general interchange of locale data, such as in Microsoft's .NET. For web pages with different views of CLDR data, see http://unicode.org/cldr/charts.html.

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For more information about the Unicode CLDR project (including charts) see http://cldr.unicode.org. The latest features of CLDR will also be showcased at the 33rd Internationalization and Unicode Conference (IUC) on October 14-16, 2009 in San Jose, CA — see http://unicodeconference.org/.

Call for Participation: 33rd Internationalization & Unicode Conference

Contact: Stephanie Covert OMG +1-843-737 0637 [email protected] Call for Participation: 33rd Internationalization & Unicode Conference San Jose, Calif., USA; October 14-16, 2009 Mountain View, CA, USA – April 2, 2009 – The Unicode® Consortium today announced a call for participation in The Thirty-third Internationalization & Unicode® Conference (IUC 33), taking place in San Jose, Calif., USA; October 14-16, 2009. The call for participation runs until Friday, May 22. The annual conference is produced by OMG™. Details about the conference and the call for participation are available at http://www.unicodeconference.org/iuc33call. The Internationalization & Unicode Conference is the premier annual technical conference focusing on multilingual, global software and Web internationalization. Each IUC conference features a variety of tutorials and conference sessions that cover current topics related to Web and software internationalization, globalization, and Unicode. IUC 33 will include sessions with a special focus on emerging technologies, social networks, cloud computing, evolving standards, and best practices in internationalization for management, development and testing. Organizations are specifically invited to submit proposals on their real-world experiences with globalization efforts. The conference Program Committee is also seeking technical and business-focused presentations on case studies, experience reports, evaluations or research papers on topics relevant to (but not limited to): New and upcoming globalization, internationalization and Unicode technologies Internationalized Domain Names Implementation of Unicode, including new scripts and characters in Unicode 5.1 Current state of font development with regard to Unicode Unicode in “the cloud” Social networking and its impact on globalization and internationalization issues Unicode conformance and international standards compliance issues Common Locale Data Repository (CLDR) Internationalization or enabling of applications or Web sites Working with multilingual text and data Global development best practices Security and data-exchange issues Business cases and technical issues for globalized software Publishing and broadcasting for a global audience Encoding and Internationalization challenges for governments Unicode in the library and in university curricula Internationalization of Web services and XML-based data formats Support of South Asian and African languages Tutorial Sessions are an important part of the conference. The Program Committee is seeking proposals on topics of interest to general software users, to project and program managers, and to technical attendees who need to build basic knowledge of Unicode and software internationalization. Tutorial topics can also include (but aren’t limited to): Best practices in localization process and technology Users: making the most of international features in common applications Unicode and internationalization in programming languages Solutions for handling complex scripts Platform technologies for internationalization Program and project management of internationalization Strategies and best practices for managing multilingual sites & content Tutorial presenters receive complimentary registration and two nights lodging. Session presenters receive a fifty percent conference discount and two nights lodging. See the web site for full details and restrictions. Proposals for panel sessions in any of the above areas are also welcomed. Interested individuals or organizations are invited to submit a brief (up to 600 word) abstract of their proposed conference presentation by Friday, May 22 using this web form: http://www.unicodeconference.org/abstracts. The Program Committee will select presentations for inclusion in the program and notify authors by Tuesday, June 9. Final presentation materials will be required from all selected presenters by Monday August 28. The conference agenda will be available by Friday, June 12, and posted at http://www.unicodeconference.org. Sponsorships and exhibit space are available; for more information on sponsoring contact Ken Berk at [email protected], +1-781-444 0404. For exhibiting questions email [email protected]. For all other questions email [email protected]. Internationalization and Unicode experts, implementers, clients, teachers and vendors are invited to attend this unique conference. The interactive format makes the Internationalization & Unicode Conference a great place to meet and exchange ideas with leading experts, find out about the needs of potential clients, or get information about new and existing Unicode-enabled products.