Quite simply: no, I don't agree.
Ok, you don't see a problem here. but I do.
...
What now? If you don't see a problem - it (a problem) does not exist then?
This is likely why your IRC servers have "experimental" UTF-8 support; because it's complicated to support multiple encodings.
No, because UTF-8 implementation is not perfect and still in discussion. There is no "good" way to do it, no one perfect mechanism. That's why on some servers it's implemented in different ways.
And no, "mine" IRC-servers support many codepages because of backward-compatibility I was talking about....
It's actually easier on the server end, but that's a discussion for ircd implementors, not this forum.
it is fun actually, how different kind of people see the solution for one problem. IRCd-devs, for example, has different opinon:
(03:12:11) <+Kein> Brain »» Will be InspIRCD support iconv by default? It's is a codepage encoding and support for some codepages, like UTF-8, cp1251 (russian), KOIR-8 and more on iRCD-level...
(03:12:11) <+Kein> Like in the ByNets Unreal distro
(03:12:50) <+Adremelech|Laptop> that sounds like a crossbreed between "ick" and "eewww"
(03:13:13) <+Adremelech|Laptop> "eeecccckkk"
(03:13:15) <+Adremelech|Laptop>
(03:16:34) * A (cash082@ChatSpike-c0b9b815.fios.verizon.net) has joined #inspircd
(03:16:35) * ChanServ sets mode: +v A
(03:17:18) <~Brain> lo A
(03:17:29) <~Brain> Kein: no
(03:17:49) <~Brain> a client should do codepage translation, rfc says only one specific charset, finnish one i think
(03:18:58) <+Kein> But they shouldn't.
(03:19:04) * +typobox43 (typobox43@nin10doh.com) Quit (Ping timeout: 121 seconds)
(03:20:40) <~Brain> yes they should
(03:20:48) <~Brain> an ircd just relays data
(03:20:50) <~Brain> it doesnt translate it
(03:21:14) <+Kein> Sorry, i mean: but they don't do it.
(03:21:16) <~Brain> the protocol itself isnt compatible with a whole load of character sets
(03:21:20) <~Brain> they should
(03:21:24) <~Brain> not our job
(03:21:25) <~Brain> :p
(03:21:41) <~Brain> nor do i have any desire to touch any bloated nonportable library such as iconv
(03:21:53) <~Brain> along with all the shitty deps it needs
And ircclient-devs (well, lets pretend for a moment you have the right to speak for Khaled/mIRC dev team) thinks it must be IRCD job.
DEAD END. Infnite loop. Problem exist, but no one want to fix it ;<
mIRC wants to do the right thing and move people away from codepages and onto a proper encoding; the encoding that every modern OS supports, almost all of the web uses, and most other IRC clients use. I'm talking about Unicode, of course. The percentage of support on the servers you use might be low right now, but by releasing mIRC 7, this will change. That's a good thing.
That's a good thing, right. But let me show an anology for such situation: x64 architecture and old x86. The first one benefits, but we still have choice between 64bit and 32bit software, we still have CPUs that support both set of instructions.
Why?
BACKWARD-compatibility while migration process. Yes, it takes long time, but there is no other choice. Ofc, you can teach child to swim by throwing him into deep water, but there is too much chances he can die and there is exist different, more successful methods.
As a sidenote, mIRC is not forcing you to immediately upgrade to 7.1 as soon as it is available. 7.x has been put out there as a beta to show people how mIRC will be working.
That's why I reported about the issue (yes,
issue, it's an issue for me and in this case I dont't care about
your opinion, sorry; no offence, just the fact). I hope it will be fixed while new mIRC is still beta. That's the purpose of public beta-test. PPl try it, ppl see issue, ppl report.
This gives your network admins time to start improving their Unicode support. They may not be done by 7.1, but you can continue to use 6.35 and tell them to start taking Unicode more seriously.
RusNet can't implement many important changes in their ircd since.. oh well, 2000? Not even talking about UTF-8 support. Same applies for DALNet.RU or many other
big networks. It takes too much time and too complicated. Also, consider the fact IRC is almost dead and not so many ppl now care about it... oh well, even if it will be implemented - not before 15.x release.
You shouldn't be complaining about the lack of support for codepages here-- you should be complaining about the lack of support for UTF-8 on your network.
ORLY.
I do.
I do complain like... few years already. But I'm very practical and rational - implementing backward-compatibility in mIRC "solves" this issue much faster.
Actually, the way how 6.x branch does it seems perfect to me (i mean the whole conception of supporting locale codepage and having UTF/unicode support at the same time; not talking about the issues of 6.x).
If you took the time to write them the same kind of posts you wrote here
You have no idea...
--------
As I said already: I'm very practical and rational, the shortway is always better.
Also, I'd like to see Khaled's reply. Hope he will notice this therad >_>