Re: Euro mess (Was: valid locales ---> was bilingual websites

I didn't say the prices (better: the currency of the prices) would change, 
only the formatting and the display. You are used to seeing prices in the 
US formatting, the German formatting might cause you to read the prices 
wrong. It took me a while to get used to the US display when I moved here. 
I still can't imagine a 1/32 of an inch or 3 ounces, but I can imagine 3 
millimeters and 1 liter (a Maßkrug). Other countries have some very 
unusual formats, at least for us. The currency conversion should always be 
done separately either as a feature or at the user's request.

David Possin





"Tex Texin" <texin@progress.com>
11/15/01 03:06 PM

 
        To:     David_Possin@i2.com
        cc:     Carrasco Benitez Manuel <Manuel.Carrasco@emea.eu.int>, duerst@w3.org, 
www-international@w3.org, locales@yahoogroups.com
        Subject:        Re: Euro mess (Was: valid locales ---> was    bilingual websites


David,
However, when I am in Germany I would like to see the catalog in the
English Language as spoken in the US, but I still buy it locally and do
not want the American prices but the local German prices.

Then what?

I don't think there is a good answer....
tex

David_Possin@i2.com wrote:
> 
> I agree, the currency and its symbol may not change when you change a
> locale, unless it is a product feature. A catalog for instance could
> provide the prices in the correct currency of the user's locale, for
> example. When you change your locale the prices show up in that
> countries currency.
> 
> The formatting change of the displayed currency depending on the
> locale is a different issue. What triggers the change of the display
> format? The language or the country or the currency or a mix of these?
> Example:
> 
> I am in the US with my PC set to en_US locale and I  looking at a
> German catalog with German prices and German language descriptions,
> actually a German website. How should the prices be displayed?
> 
> DEM 1,234.00 because of my en_US locale setting?
> or
> 1.234,00 DEM because it is a German web page?
> 
> Getting the catalog in snail mail was easier, a German catalog has
> German formatting. We have been discussing this issue for a year now
> and have found no definite decision, yet.
> 
> I am sending the reply to the locales group
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/locales because we are discussing these
> issues there as well.
> 
> David Possin
> 
>  "Carrasco Benitez Manuel"
>  <Manuel.Carrasco@emea.eu.int>(by way          To:
>  of Martin Duerst <duerst               www-international@w3.org
>  Sent by:                                      cc:
>  www-international-request@w3.org              Subject:        RE:
>                                        Euro mess (Was: valid locales
>  11/15/01 12:49 AM                     ---> was    bilingual websites
> 
> [CARRASCO]
> Local *must not* change the currency symbol. For example,
> if a text with the local England contain $B!W(B100.-, it must
> not change to $100.- when the local is changed to USA.
> 
> Formating could change. For example, for some local X,
> it could change to 100$B!W(B. The key aspect is that only the
> presentation is changed, but not the meaning: "please
> transfer 100 British Pounds; not USA dollars or
> Liras/Libras of country Y".
> 
> So in the case of the Euro Symbol, there are/will be
> conventions for the different local how to format it:
> in front, at the back or other aspects such as joined to
> the first figure.
> 
> Regarding encoding, users would choose whatever they like
> and can use with their available systems.
> 
> If am encoding HTML in ISO-8859-1, I will use "&euro;" as
> it is makes the HTML source more readable that is I use
> "&#8364;" or "&#x20A1;". Also less error prone, for example
> the previous hex code is the "Colon" (C with to bars that
> it could be considere an over-artistic Euro Symbol). The
> Euro is "&#x20AC".
> 
> Aspects that deal with the calculation of the euro are
> outside the scope of this list.
> 
> Regards
> Tomas
> 
> [BROWN]
> If you do locale sensitive currency formatting the currency symbol and
> positioning will change.  This means that you will get a text stream
> in
> Unicode for example and then have to translate it to the HTML code
> page.
> You can either scan for U+20AC and insert "&euro;" or convert all
> non-translatable characters to NCRs such as "&#8364;".  This is a
> better
> approach as it is more general.

-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------
Tex Texin                    Director, International Business
mailto:Texin@Progress.com    Tel: +1-781-280-4271
the Progress Company         Fax: +1-781-280-4655
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"When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the
one I've never tried before."- -Mae West