# Proposal for Implementing Unicode in PHP - Thread: https://externals.io/message/16364 - Original archive: https://news-web.php.net/php.internals/16364 - Started by Steven Wittens on 2005-06-03T13:43:41+00:00 - Messages: 3 - Reply by email to internals@lists.php.net - More for agents: search with https://externals.io/search.md?q={query} · JSON API at https://externals.io/api · documentation at https://externals.io/llms.txt --- ## #16364 — Steven Wittens — 2005-06-03T13:43:41+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/16364#16364 Hi, As a PHP user I'm sadly confronted daily with PHP's lack of proper Unicode support. PHP is rapidly falling behind the competition... as far as I know, Perl, Python, VBScript, Ruby all have good Unicode implementations. That PHP still doesn't have that after so many years sounds like there is a general lack of awareness about the issue from the core team and what to do about it. I'm not a big shot C coder, but I do know a lot about encodings and Unicode, so I've outlined the big "Unicode and PHP" problem in an article, along with a proposal on how to tackle it: http://www.acko.net/blog/unicode-in-php It's a bit long, but then it's a complicated issue. I hope you guys find it informative or at least skim over the bold parts to see what is causing me and many others to tear my hair out in frustration and seriously consider alternatives. Thanks, Steven Wittens PS: Sorry if this has to go to PHP-I18N instead, but that list seems to be aimed at practical I18N problems.. not fundamental changes in the core. Internals seemed more appropriate for this. --- ## #16365 — Dan Scott — 2005-06-03T14:04:48+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/16364#16365 · In reply to: #16364 Make sure you read the "PHP and Unicode: A Love at Fifth Sight" presentation available from http://www.gravitonic.com/talks/ from the May 2005 -- Andrei and Derick have been working towards this already. > Hi, > > As a PHP user I'm sadly confronted daily with PHP's lack of proper > Unicode support. PHP is rapidly falling behind the competition... as far > as I know, Perl, Python, VBScript, Ruby all have good Unicode > implementations. That PHP still doesn't have that after so many years > sounds like there is a general lack of awareness about the issue from > the core team and what to do about it. > > I'm not a big shot C coder, but I do know a lot about encodings and > Unicode, so I've outlined the big "Unicode and PHP" problem in an > article, along with a proposal on how to tackle it: > > http://www.acko.net/blog/unicode-in-php > > It's a bit long, but then it's a complicated issue. I hope you guys find > it informative or at least skim over the bold parts to see what is > causing me and many others to tear my hair out in frustration and > seriously consider alternatives. > > Thanks, > Steven Wittens > > PS: Sorry if this has to go to PHP-I18N instead, but that list seems to > be aimed at practical I18N problems.. not fundamental changes in the > core. Internals seemed more appropriate for this. --- ## #16425 — Ron Korving — 2005-06-06T12:23:52+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/16364#16425 · In reply to: #16364 I couldn't agree with you more. This would be a great new feature for PHP 5.1 (which it probably won't be), or 5.2. Ron "Steven Wittens" schreef in bericht news:8D.C1.12345.13F50A24@pb1.pair.com... > Hi, > > As a PHP user I'm sadly confronted daily with PHP's lack of proper > Unicode support. PHP is rapidly falling behind the competition... as far > as I know, Perl, Python, VBScript, Ruby all have good Unicode > implementations. That PHP still doesn't have that after so many years > sounds like there is a general lack of awareness about the issue from > the core team and what to do about it. > > I'm not a big shot C coder, but I do know a lot about encodings and > Unicode, so I've outlined the big "Unicode and PHP" problem in an > article, along with a proposal on how to tackle it: > > http://www.acko.net/blog/unicode-in-php > > It's a bit long, but then it's a complicated issue. I hope you guys find > it informative or at least skim over the bold parts to see what is > causing me and many others to tear my hair out in frustration and > seriously consider alternatives. > > Thanks, > Steven Wittens > > PS: Sorry if this has to go to PHP-I18N instead, but that list seems to > be aimed at practical I18N problems.. not fundamental changes in the > core. Internals seemed more appropriate for this.