[swift-evolution] [Meta] Let's talk TouchBar + Unicode

[Jonathan Hull]

> On Oct 28, 2016, at 5:45 PM, Xiaodi Wu <xiaodi.wu at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> -1. I'm all for full and complete Unicode support in Swift so that each person can use their native language to the fullest. But there is value in saying that the working language for Swift evolution is U.S. English, the working language for the Swift standard library API is U.S. English, and the working character set for the core language facilities is ASCII. We've discussed and rejected union operators in the stdlib; it was a heated discussion, but we simply can't revisit API naming every six months.
It was mainly rejected based on being too hard to type.  It turns out that that decision was short-sighted. I am saying we need to stop being short-sighted.  I honestly don’t see the value in limiting ourselves to ASCII anymore.  Let’s be expressive in the best way we can.  If a symbol is more expressive in one case, let’s use it.  If a word is more expressive in another, let’s use that.  But applying (now artificial/unnecessary) constraints because it is what our forefathers did is not helpful.

I am reminded of the time, when I was writing my thesis (on Undo) in User Experience, they were trying to force us to put our charts, tables, and figures in a very unreadable format.  Why?  Because it made it easier for printing presses in the 1850’s, and the rules had been codified based on that.  It didn’t matter that we were now printing on laser printers. Everyone was forced to do something suboptimal because it was what those in charge had been forced to do in their day as well.  Arbitrarily forcing part of the system to be restricted to ASCII despite the fact that it now supports unicode is similarly silly (and similarly harmful).


> The same argument about the touch bar can be said for iPad soft keyboards.
Yes, yes it can. Programming on the iPad will be a real thing before you know it.  We need to avoid limiting ourselves to the constraints of the 1970s.

Thanks,
Jon