Re: Z39.50 character encoding

The problem is that MARC21 currently permits records to be encoded using
either of 2 mutually incompatible character sets.  You can tell from
inspection of the record leader what character set is being used.  But
Z39.50 provides no mechanism to ask for MARC records to be delivered with a
specific character encoding (and neither does anything else, for that
matter).

I agree with Ray that the OID for the record syntax does not imply a
character set.  The OID for MARC21 explicitly identifies the semantics of
MARC21 tags, subfields, etc.  It also implies the use of ISO2709 transfer
syntax.  It says nothing about the character set.  However, compspec (with a
variant in ESN1) would allow us to specify what character set we want.  But
then we get into the complexity (intellectually, not ASN-wise) of OIDs for
Unicode.

j.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Taylor" <mike@tecc.co.uk>
To: <rden@loc.gov>
Cc: <www-zig@w3.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 12:20 PM
Subject: Re: Z39.50 character encoding


> > Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2002 11:54:05 -0500
> > From: Ray Denenberg <rden@loc.gov>
> >
> > > > > Would a request for a particular record syntax
> > > > > override any utf-8 option bit set at Init time?
> > > >
> > > > Well no, that's not what I had in mind.
> > >
> > > But it _has_ to!  That's what an EXTERNAL is!
> >
> > It's not clear to me that the oid embodies the character set. It
identifies
> > the record syntax.
>
> OK, that's true.  Let me be more specific.  Some of those record
> syntaxes that we identify (and USMARC is the obvious example) include
> a specification of character set that we are not at liberty to
> override -- otherwise the records we serve up will not be USMARC
> records.  Other record syntaxes may be less prescriptive.
>
>  _/|_ _______________________________________________________________
> /o ) \/  Mike Taylor   <mike@miketaylor.org.uk>   www.miketaylor.org.uk
> )_v__/\  "_Apatosaurus_ sort of looks like a pro wrestler when most
> of the other sauropods tend to look like ballerinas" --
> Matt Wedel.

Received on Wednesday, 27 February 2002 08:55:43 UTC