[idn] Unicode tagging

["Edmon" <edmon@neteka.com>]

> > > machines need to know how to translate IDNs from whatever
> > > encoding they use into unicode/10646 (for queries) and back
> > > (for address lookups).
> > >
> >
> > That is very reasonable... why then is it not a good idea to tag the
> > encoding as we have suggested in a standard and easily recognizable way?
>
> if you always use unicode on the wire, there's no need for a tag.
> systems that have to support multiple encodings (or even the
> possibility of multiple encodings) are far more complex than
> single-encoding systems.
>

I dont think this is totally true... there are different transformations of
Unicode as well as different specifications 16 bit or 32 bit.  While I truly
believe that for the sake of the DNS, the use of a uniform byte length
encoding scheme is best especially considering the fact that there exists a
"count" in front of a label and the count could then correspond to the
number of characters so that it could be "fair" between languages, the
problem exists when we want to expand the character set just like what
Unicode will be doing soon to evolve to 32 bit.  Therefore, we must tag at
least the form of Unicode that is carried by the packet.

My "alternate implementation" in the I-D that was submitted illustrates how
we could confine the tagging to unicode forms.


> > > >  but I thought
> > > > there were suggestions to rejected some characters in the DNS such
as
> > > > symbols?
> > >
> > > perhaps, but this would be as a matter of policy, rather than as a
> > > constraint that is wired into the IDN protocol.
> >
> > A matter of policy for respective registries?
>
> perhaps, but ideally, no.  or at least, not as a solution to the
> transcription problem.  the last thing we need is for registries
> to compete against one another on the basis of which one accepts
> which characters.
>

Shouldnt it be left to the customers to decide what they actually want in
their domain names?  As engineers I feel that our responsibility is to
provide a platform that can handle any character in the world.  Choice is
true control while constraints creates instability... isnt this the truth of
regulations?

If the end users demand certain symbols, the registries will want to provide
them with it... as engineers we should make that possible.  Therefore if a
registry A restricts some symbols while Registry B allow it, people flock
over to B... A will be forced to open it up... eventually all characters and
symbols will be permitted...

> registries will of course continue to have some policy about what
> kinds of names are accepted, so one cannot rule out that some
> registries will be more restrictive than others about which
> characters are allowed in names.
>
> Keit