Re: UTF-8 text files

[Ralf Wildenhues]

Hi Bob,

* Bob Friesenhahn wrote on Fri, Mar 18, 2005 at 04:48:58PM CET:
> On Fri, 18 Mar 2005, Ralf Wildenhues wrote:
> 
> >Didn't add a thank you note to the last ChangeLog entry yet --
> >are the Libtool developers alright with UTF-8 encoded ChangeLog*,
> >THANKS, (maybe eventually AUTHORS) files?
> 
> Text files don't support a standard way to specify their encoding. 
> Now if these files were expressed in XML, then there *would* be a 
> standard way to specify their encoding.

Well, the next default thing to ASCII would be UTF-8 these days.
Did I mention before that I will _not_ start using XML?

> This seems like an issue to push up to RMS and crew since use of UTF-8 
> or any other encoding should be specified in the GNU coding standards. 
> It does not seem right that contributors whos names are not adequately 
> expressable via plain old ASCII do not obtain the same benefit as 
> others.  On the other hand, if text files are expected to be ASCII by 
> default, then the rest of the world will not see their names 
> appropriately.

ACK.  Will take this up to bug-standards.

> >Any emacs-foo I'd need to add at the top or bottom?
> 
> Is emacs now required in order to maintain libtool?

No, but apparently emacs requires all sorts of little
  -*-blabla-*-

thingies at tops and bottoms of files.  Since it's the $EDITOR I rarely
use but that is used regularly by Libtool developers, I thought I'd
prevent mistakes before they could happen.  :)

> >Are CVS/arch/whatever fine with the change?
> 
> They should not care.

Fine.

Regards,
Ralf