> > > Example:
> > > User types in www.gås.net
> ...this, of course, presumes that the user has an input
> method that permits
> the correct encoding to be economically entered [either an
> exact single key
> for the accented vowel, or a simple multiple keystroke combination to
> produce it]
As it happens, å is commonly used only in the Nordic countries.
Nearly all keyboards here have an å key. You might need to pick
it out of table (like in the "Unicode Character Map" utility), or
use some code value input method (like what's described in ISO/IEC 14755).
> > > or www.g%c3%a5s.net (or even
> > > www.gc--3a--5s.net)
> ...human nature being what it is, I doubt either of these
> approaches would
> be welcomed by most users because it violates the principle
> of economical key entry
Not only that, but very few would have clue as to why it looked
like that. Most people would just consider it to be garbage.
> > > The (free) transliteration could also be entered by the surfer:
> > > www.gaas.net
> >
> > User might reluctantly type that. (B.t.w. 'gås' means 'goos',
> > while 'gaas' means 'gaas'.)
> >
> ...suppose that the user has available a browser that can
> correctly display
> the language of the web site and is sufficiently fluent at reading the
> language that the content and presentation are not an issue. If an
> ASCII-ized URL name is registered by the site owner, why
> would a user be reluctant to use it?
Because "gaas" looks darn silly! As does "spraaket@sr.se".
"Språket" (as it should really be) means "the language" (it's
the e-mail address for a language program). "Spraaket" would be
kind of "the spaarkle" or "the fiizz", or similar. It's just
considered silly. Finding a non-silly ASCII alternative
(without translating to English) can be difficult. However,
a silly ASCII alternative is better than something nearly
everyone would consider to be garbled and useless.
> For example, look at www.ntt.com. "NTT" is the
> established corporate identity of Nippon Denshin Denwa, and
> although the
> Latin alphabet certainly does not convey the same meaning as
> do the kanji
> for the name, NTT is certainly well-understood to a wide audience.
That is for a globally known company, and some compromises
may need to be made for the global audience. Like for
"Skanska" (the building and construction company): it used
to be called "Skånska cementgjuteriet". The name change was
considered silly at the time, but the new name does work
better globally.
Kind regards
/kent k