Overview; Unix Background; The Nls Concept - HP 9000 User Manual

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Overview
UNIX Background
The UNIX operating system was originally designed to be used with
terminals that generated seven bit ASCII characters. The primary users were
English-speaking Americans, so internationalizing the operating system was
not even considered. A number of years have passed since the creation of the
UNIX operating system; it grew to be used industry-wide and world-wide as an
application programming environment.
There became a need to handle characters from coded character sets other than
the standard ASCII codeset, some of which contain thousands of characters.
There became a need to provide interfaces that allow users to interact with
applications in their own language, rather than forcing them to use English
error messages and instructions. Native Language Support (NLS) was created
to do this in a manner which preserves the traditional UNIX operating system,
but is language independent.
The NLS Concept
NLS enhances the traditional UNIX operating system in a way that benefits
both the users and the application developers. It enables the design of
flexible
applications that can support a variety of language environments. NLS consists
of a number of tools that help preserve the integrity of data across different
codesets, provide interfaces in the local language, and represent local customs
in software. Much existing software is designed for use only in the country
or locale for which it was originally written. This means the programmer
must redesign and recompile the software for every local language and local
environment.
Overview 1-1
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