Unicode is only for plaintext

I wanted to get the Feed icon () into Unicode. The Unicode Consortium has a page about proposals. It notes:

Before proceeding, ... Consult ... the Archive of Nonapproval Notices to see if the character has already been considered but was disapproved for some reason.

One of these rejections is:

2012-2 EXTERNAL LINK SIGN

Proposals to encode a character for the “external link sign”, which is often seen as a graphic element indicating a link to a document located external to the website where the page using the external link sign resides. (See L2/06-268, L2/12-143, L2/12-169.)

The external link image () is like the feed icon: it’s an image used in hyperlinks on webpages, to hint something about the content it links to. Here’s the Unicode Consortium’s reason for rejection:

Disposition: The UTC rejected the proposals to add “external link sign”, most recently in L2/12-169. It is unclear that the entity in question is actually an element of plain text, given the inevitable connection to its function in linking to other documents, and thus its coexistence with markup for links.

Furthermore, the existing widespread practice of representing this sign on web pages using images (often specified via CSS styles) would be unlikely to benefit from attempting to encode a character for this image.

These reasons for rejection would apply equally to the feed icon. The rejection of the external link sets a precedent for the rejection of the feed icon. Unicode decisions can be based on such precedents; the non-approval page says:

Occasionally, however, the UTC makes a formal decision to reject a character proposal, for a variety of architectural reasons, or because of other serious defects in the proposal. Such formal decisions result in a notice of non-approval posted on this page, and signal the intent of the UTC not to pursue further work on that proposal. In some instances such a formal decision is also designated by the UTC as constituting a precedent (see Section 10.6.2, “Precedents” in the UTC Procedures); any precedent would require a special majority in the UTC to be reconsidered for a change of decision at a later time. Any notices of non-approval which also constitute UTC precedents are explicitly identified as such in this archive.

I’m therefore deciding not to continue with the proposal of a Unicode feed icon. I don’t particularly agree with the Consortium’s insistence on “plaintext”, but I don’t fancy the chances of success, considering the close comparison with the external link icon.

Tagged .

More by Jim

What does the dot do in JavaScript?

foo.bar, foo.bar(), or foo.bar = baz - what do they mean? A deep dive into prototypical inheritance and getters/setters. 2020-11-01

Smear phishing: a new Android vulnerability

Trick Android to display an SMS as coming from any contact. Convincing phishing vuln, but still unpatched. 2020-08-06

A probabilistic pub quiz for nerds

A “true or false” quiz where you respond with your confidence level, and the optimal strategy is to report your true belief. 2020-04-26

Time is running out to catch COVID-19

Simulation shows it’s rational to deliberately infect yourself with COVID-19 early on to get treatment, but after healthcare capacity is exceeded, it’s better to avoid infection. Includes interactive parameters and visualizations. 2020-03-14

The inception bar: a new phishing method

A new phishing technique that displays a fake URL bar in Chrome for mobile. A key innovation is the “scroll jail” that traps the user in a fake browser. 2019-04-27

The hacker hype cycle

I got started with simple web development, but because enamored with increasingly esoteric programming concepts, leading to a “trough of hipster technologies” before returning to more productive work. 2019-03-23

Project C-43: the lost origins of asymmetric crypto

Bob invents asymmetric cryptography by playing loud white noise to obscure Alice’s message, which he can cancel out but an eavesdropper cannot. This idea, published in 1944 by Walter Koenig Jr., is the forgotten origin of asymmetric crypto. 2019-02-16

How Hacker News stays interesting

Hacker News buried my post on conspiracy theories in my family due to overheated discussion, not censorship. Moderation keeps the site focused on interesting technical content. 2019-01-26

My parents are Flat-Earthers

For decades, my parents have been working up to Flat-Earther beliefs. From Egyptology to Jehovah’s Witnesses to theories that human built the Moon billions of years in the future. Surprisingly, it doesn’t affect their successful lives very much. For me, it’s a fun family pastime. 2019-01-20

The dots do matter: how to scam a Gmail user

Gmail’s “dots don’t matter” feature lets scammers create an account on, say, Netflix, with your email address but different dots. Results in convincing phishing emails. 2018-04-07

The sorry state of OpenSSL usability

OpenSSL’s inadequate documentation, confusing key formats, and deprecated interfaces make it difficult to use, despite its importance. 2017-12-02

I hate telephones

I hate telephones. Some rational reasons: lack of authentication, no spam filtering, forced synchronous communication. But also just a visceral fear. 2017-11-08

The Three Ts of Time, Thought and Typing: measuring cost on the web

Businesses often tout “free” services, but the real costs come in terms of time, thought, and typing required from users. Reducing these “Three Ts” is key to improving sign-up flows and increasing conversions. 2017-10-26

Granddad died today

Granddad died. The unspoken practice of death-by-dehydration in the NHS. The Liverpool Care Pathway. Assisted dying in the UK. The importance of planning in end-of-life care. 2017-05-19

How do I call a program in C, setting up standard pipes?

A C function to create a new process, set up its standard input/output/error pipes, and return a struct containing the process ID and pipe file descriptors. 2017-02-17

Your syntax highlighter is wrong

Syntax highlighters make value judgments about code. Most highlighters judge that comments are cruft, and try to hide them. Most diff viewers judge that code deletions are bad. 2014-05-11

Want to build a fantastic product using LLMs? I work at Granola where we're building the future IDE for knowledge work. Come and work with us! Read more or get in touch!

This page copyright James Fisher 2017. Content is not associated with my employer. Found an error? Edit this page.

Unicode is only for plaintext

Similar posts

More by Jim