Re: [bug-gnu-libiconv] REQ: Encoding MARC-8

[Bruno Haible]

Hi,

> libiconv doesn't seem to support MARC-8; perhaps that should go on the
> list of encodings pending implementation if such a list exists.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MARC-8

Thank you for the suggestion.

Given the answer of the first question in libiconv/NOTES

  "libiconv, as an internationalization library, supports those character
   sets and encodings which are in wide-spread use in at least one territory
   of the world."

and the explanation in Wikipedia

  "MARC-8 is rarely used outside of library records."

I don't think MARC-8 support is useful or appropriate in libiconv.

I see at <http://search.cpan.org/~esummers/> that whoever want MARC-8
charset support also needs more functionality for MARC-8 records. In
other words, it's really a special-purpose encoding which is best
implemented together with MARC XML support and more.

> I don't have any need; if I did it would be written already.  It just
> seemed like something that would be useful to someone.  :)

Thanks. It's good to have people like you who keep their eyes open.

Bruno