Re: [bug-gnu-libiconv] Please restore "UTF8" as alias for UTF-8 charset

[Bruno Haible]

Hi,

> please consider restoring "UTF8" as an alias for "UTF-8"

Declined. "UTF-8" is the only standardized name for this encoding.
Adding new aliases, such as "UTF8", only increases the pressure
on other software to support this alias as well, and until all
software supports the alias, the effect you have is: interoperability
problems.

Therefore the best answer to a request to support new aliases is: NO.

> which you made HPUX-only with the release of libtool 1.13.

You are misreading the source. GNU libiconv did not support the alias
name "UTF8" (other than on HP-UX) in any release.

> - Cygwin patches UTF8 back into libiconv: 
> https://github.com/cygwinports/libiconv/blob/master/1.14-aliases.patch

Oh, you found the source for the Cygwin modifications! Nice.

> I want to write software that can translate data to the UTF-8 charset. 
> For that, I need a de-jure reliable name for that charset, as the 
> parameters to iconv_open() are implementation-defined.

Yes. Thus one needs a set of platform-dependent mappings for the
charset name. Such as in gnulib:
https://git.savannah.gnu.org/gitweb/?p=gnulib.git;a=blob;f=lib/iconv_open-aix.gperf
https://git.savannah.gnu.org/gitweb/?p=gnulib.git;a=blob;f=lib/iconv_open-hpux.gperf
https://git.savannah.gnu.org/gitweb/?p=gnulib.git;a=blob;f=lib/iconv_open-irix.gperf
https://git.savannah.gnu.org/gitweb/?p=gnulib.git;a=blob;f=lib/iconv_open-osf.gperf
https://git.savannah.gnu.org/gitweb/?p=gnulib.git;a=blob;f=lib/iconv_open-solaris.gperf

Yes, it sucks. But it sucks less than the interoperability problems
caused by non-standard aliases.

Bruno