Deprecating Unicode Language Tag Characters: RFC 2482 is Historic
draft-presuhn-rfc2482-historic-02

Network Working Group                                        K. Whistler
Internet-Draft                                              Sybase, Inc.
Obsoletes: 2482 (if approved)                                   G. Adams
Intended status: Informational                       Skynav (Phil), Inc.
Expires: January 8, 2011                                       M. Duerst
                                                Aoyama Gakuin University
                                                         R. Presuhn, Ed.
                                                              J. Klensin
                                                            July 7, 2010

   Deprecating Unicode Language Tag Characters: RFC 2482 is Historic
                 draft-presuhn-rfc2482-historic-02.txt

Abstract

   RFC 2482, Language Tagging in Unicode Plain Text, described a
   mechanism for using special Unicode language tag characters to
   identify languages when needed without more general markup such as
   that provided by XML.  The Unicode Consortium has deprecated that
   facility and strongly recommends against its use.  RFC 2482 should be
   moved to Historic to reduce the possibility that Internet
   implementers would consider that system an appropriate mechanism for
   identifying languages.

Status of this Memo

   This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the
   provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.

   Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering
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   This Internet-Draft will expire on January 8, 2011.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2010 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal

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   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
   (http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
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Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
   2.  Action  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
   3.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
   4.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
   5.  Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
   6.  References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
     6.1.  Normative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
     6.2.  Informative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
   Authors' Addresses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

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1.  Introduction

   RFC 2482, Language Tagging in Unicode Plain Text [RFC2482], described
   a mechanism for using special Unicode language tag characters to
   identify languages when needed.  It was an idea whose time never
   quite came.  It has been superseded by whole-transaction language
   identification such as the MIME Content-language header [RFC3282] and
   more general markup mechanisms such as those provided by XML.  The
   Unicode Consortium has deprecated the language tag character facility
   and strongly recommends against its use.  RFC 2482 should be moved to
   Historic to reduce the possibility that Internet implementers would
   consider that tagging system an appropriate mechanism for identifying
   languages.

   A discussion of the status of the language tag characters and their
   applicability appears in Section 16.9 of the Unicode Standard
   [Unicode52].

2.  Action

   RFC 2482 is deprecated and reclassified as Historic.  Internet
   protocols and Standards-track documents should not use the facilities
   described in that document.

3.  IANA Considerations

   [RFC Editor: Please remove this section before publication.]

   This memo includes no requests to or actions for IANA.

4.  Security Considerations

   By deprecating RFC 2482, we eliminate a facility that is no longer
   encouraged and supported by the Unicode Consortium and that may have
   been slightly risky in use if misinterpreted or if expectations of
   support were not met.  So, if this action has any effect on Internet
   security at all, it should be positive.

5.  Acknowledgments

   Helpful comments were received from Peter Koch and S. Moonesamy.

6.  References

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6.1.  Normative References

   [RFC2482]  Whistler, K. and G. Adams, "Language Tagging in Unicode
              Plain Text", RFC 2482, January 1999.

   [Unicode52]
              The Unicode Consortium.  The Unicode Standard, Version
              5.2.0, defined by:, "The Unicode Standard, Version 5.2.0",
              (Mountain View, CA: The Unicode Consortium, 2009. ISBN
              978-1-936213-00-9).,
              <http://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode5.2.0/>.

6.2.  Informative References

   [RFC3282]  Alvestrand, H., "Content Language Headers", RFC 3282,
              May 2002.

Authors' Addresses

   Kenneth Whistler
   Sybase, Inc.
   One Sybase Dr.
   Dublin, CA  94568
   USA

   Phone: +1 925 236 7429
   Email: kenw@sybase.com

   Glenn Adams
   Skynav (Phil), Inc.
   Lot 14 Boton Area
   Subic Bay Freeport Zone  2222
   Philippines

   Phone:
   Email: glenn@skynav.com

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   Martin Duerst
   Aoyama Gakuin University
   5-10-1 Fuchinobe
   Sagamihara, Kanagawa  229-8558
   Japan

   Phone: +81 42 759 6329
   Fax:   +81 42 759 6495
   Email: duerst@it.aoyama.ac.jp

   Randy Presuhn (editor)
   San Jose, CA  95120
   USA

   Phone:
   Email: randy_presuhn@mindspring.com

   John C Klensin
   1770 Massachusetts Ave, Ste 322
   Cambridge, MA  02140
   USA

   Phone: +1 617 245 1457
   Email: john+ietf@jck.com

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