Re: Layer 2 and "idn identities" (was: Re: [idn] what are the IDN identifiers?)

[DougEwell2@cs.com]

In a message dated 2001-12-02 19:33:03 Pacific Standard Time, 
deng@cnnic.net.cn writes:

> I'm not sure the difference of "marketing solution" and "engineering 
> solution" you mentioned.
> I'm try to assume I know it. So, if a reasonable requirement raise from end 
> users, we should
> find a theorized solution(engineering solution) to meet the requirement. 
> Then we put it into 
> practice(marketing solution) and adjust the improper parts. And, real 
> solution rises. 

Sorry, I keep forgetting that there are marketing people participating in 
this discussion.  When I said:

> It might be a nice marketing solution, but it is not an engineering 
solution.

what I meant is this: Users want a solution to a certain problem, such as 
SC/TC transliteration.  Unfortunately, the sad truth is that not everything 
users want is necessarily feasible, or even possible.

An engineering approach might be to look at the problem, determine whether it 
must be solved completely or only partially to satisfy the requirements, and 
then determine how completely the problem can in fact be solved.  If it is 
determined that the problem MUST be solved completely, but CANNOT be, then 
the engineer must throw the requirements back over the fence to be modified 
or excised.

A marketing solution might be to defer the question of whether a partial 
solution is adequate, and accept whatever solution can be engineered on the 
basis that SOME users will be satisfied.  After all, satisfied users = $.  
Except that maybe it turns out that the partial solution was not adequate 
after all, and those "satisfied" users (who may not have been fully informed 
of the limitations) end up disgruntled and distrustful of the software.  
Marketing grumbles internally about the incompetence of the developers in not 
satisfying the customers' needs, then proposes a round of "fixes" to try to 
salvage the situation in the next version.

I apologize to all the intelligent, thoughtful, ethical and pragmatic 
marketing people out there for this simplistic and stereotyped picture.  
Certainly, good marketing decisions are made every day.  I do believe, 
however, that any IDN strategy devised by the Internet ENGINEERING Task Force 
must be based on an engineering approach.  That means that when considering a 
CJK-specific enhancement to the already-proposed IDN mechanisms, whether it 
be language tagging or blind SC/TC equivalence or whatever, two questions 
must always be kept in mind:

1.  MUST this problem be solved completely in order to succeed?
2.  CAN this problem be solved completely?

If the answer to #1 is Yes and #2 is No, then DON'T DO IT.  Sometimes, 
marketers, half a solution is worse than none at all.

-Doug Ewell
 Fullerton, California