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[3.0] Full UTF8 support

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agridoc:
In Customization approval guidelines it should be added that the mod should work properly at least with UTF-8, better with both UTF-8/ANSI, as we are still in 2.0x and there is quite some time and there will be quite some changes in the roadmap. for 3.0 final.

There are many excellent otherwise coders that have little knowledge of database collations and proper UTF-8 implementation. So we see that new tables, or new fields in existing tables are created with latin1_swedish_ci collation regardless of SMF installation being UTF-8 or not.

SMF matured for proper UTF-8 with version 1.1 RC3, Compuart did an excellent job then.
Foreign languages will benefit from UTF-8. Although SMF has some multilingual possibilities with ISO/ANSI and a little cheating, UTF-8 has clear advantages in proper sorting and better search. Also, as many other software have matured for UTF-8 or selected UTF-8 only bridging will usually be without problems.

One question
As far as I know, SMF from version 1.1 RC3 up is fully compatible with UTF-8. So the main question is leaving or not ISO/ANSI. Do I miss anything?

Fustrate:
If people don't understand how to make their modifications UTF-8 compatible, we can certainly help them learn.

In order to reduce development and compatibility headaches, though, it's best to use UTF-8 only, instead of allowing a mix of encodings and hoping that most users choose UTF-8.

AngelinaBelle:
OK. 
I'm just an ignorant doc writer.  So if you write down the most important points, I can try to turn your gibberish into something the newer coders might understand.

agridoc:

--- Quote from: Fustrate on March 30, 2012, 01:20:53 PM ---In order to reduce development and compatibility headaches, though, it's best to use UTF-8 only, instead of allowing a mix of encodings and hoping that most users choose UTF-8.
--- End quote ---

Most users will use the default in installation. So with . With the addition of a warning for ISO/ANSI no problem with new installations.
@ AngelinaBelle: Some integrated (not Wiki) guidelines for proper language set selection depending on SMF installation would be useful for screens in
Administration Center » Languages
I find it also related to proper Localization.
Is it necessary to wait for 3.0 to make UTF-8 the default preselection?  Removing ISO/ANSI is something different. Adding UTF-8 as default in one next 2.0 subversion, after some additions, will reduce the following cases until SMF 3.0 will be ready.

What needs much thought and care are existing forum installations.

If I started my SMF today I would choose UTF-8. However, my SMF started 7 years ago, when SMF was not UTF-8 ready, as well as hosts and other software. Although i have helped others to convert, I don't find the time to do mine, it's not only SMF involved. The converter works well for all databases with SMF_prefix but needs careful planning and time, sometimes not so easy to find. I have seen in the past other software that had gone UTF-8 only without proper development and proper converter.

These cases are different, also as I have read, many admins would not like to be forced to UTF-8, although most understand that sooner or later will have to do the big jump.

spiros:

--- Quote from: agridoc on March 30, 2012, 02:34:40 PM ---These cases are different, also as I have read, many admins would not like to be forced to UTF-8, although most understand that sooner or later will have to do the big jump.

--- End quote ---

Well, this is the case exactly with Joomla. People had to go along with UTF-8 default (and only option) when upgrading to 1.5 whether they liked it or not. I did not see anybody getting any harm out of it.

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