Does Your Browser Support Multi-language ?
... and would you like to see what’s in those really BIG fonts ?
[Restoring my old web site. Much of the information is outdated and many of
the links no longer work. Updating in process...]
Unicode is the World’s standard for encoding text. Most all of the characters
used in modern writing systems have already been assigned to unique
code positions and work is under way to add some fairly exotic modern
scripts as well as provide standardized encoding for ancient scripts.
If your browser has multilingual capabilities, it probably uses Unicode to
address the various letters, characters, and symbols shown on your screen.
If you’re using Windows 2000, you already have a Unicode-aware system along
with special tools, such as the enhanced Character Map, enabling use and
display of special characters from large fonts like MS Hei, MS Song, GulimChe,
or MingLiU. (Beware that W2K Character Map does not offer all of the valid
Unicode ranges and thus often can't offer all of the glyphs in a font’s
repertoire.)
But, if you’re using an older operating system, you may have tried to see
some of those special characters and become fairly frustrated when your font
viewer failed or totally choked-up.
Using Unicode-aware software such as Opera, Netscape, Internet Explorer, or
Outlook Express, to name a few, it is possible to view special characters and
simulate the cut and paste features of the Windows 2000 Character Map even on
the Windows 95 operating system.
HOW TO:
CHARTS:
- Unicode reference sheets:
Many of the sheets appear blank. This is because many of the codes have
not yet been assigned or formalized, or because your browser and system
lack the font(s) required to display the characters.
DOWNLOADS:
Code2000 shareware demo
Unicode font. (Version 1.176) Updated 2023-09-13
Code2001, a font for Plane One. (Version 0.922) Updated 2022-09-13.
Code2002, a font for Plane Two. (Version 0.922) Updated 2023-09-13.
Code2002 covers over 50000 CJK ideographic characters in Plane Two and is still rather rough.
With the latest versions of Code2000 and Code2002 combined, the following
nine official CJK additions for Unicode 14.0 plus one official Plane 2 CJK
addition for Unicode 15.0 are supported:
鿽鿾鿿𪛞𪛟𫜵𫜶𫜷𫜸 plus 𫜹
Version 0.922 covers the new CJK Extension I.
Code20X3, a font for Plane Three. (Version 0.904) Uploaded 2023-09-13.
Code20X3 covers over 7300 CJK ideographic characters in Plane Three and could stand some improvement.
Ol Cemet' font (freeware)
TEST PAGES (for Multilingual and Unicode support and testing):
- Script Links and Unicode test pages
- TITUS Unicode Support Testing with Multilingual Sample Pages, a comprehensive site maintained by Jost Gippert
and Carl-Martin Bunz.
- In addition to concise charts showing the character repertoire mapped
to hexadecimal codepoints, multilingual sample pages are available showing
many exotic scripts.
- Be sure to follow the link to the TITUS homepage to
learn about digitally encoding the treasury of our world’s documentary
heritage to enable study and allow preservation of ancient writings in
their original scripts.
WHILE VIEWING THE CHARTS...
If you want to see the difference between various large fonts, such as
Chinese Simplified or Chinese Traditional, try changing the default font
in your browser while viewing the specific reference sheet. If you are
using the Microsoft Internet Explorer, pull-down the "View" Menu,
slide the mouse across the "Fonts" selection, and choose an
alternate font-style from the listing.
My name is James Kass. E-mail me to
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