Software Internationalization Guide

Software Internationalization Guide—526225-002
ix
About This Guide
This guide provides an overview of internationalization. It includes the following topics:
•
The goals of internationalization and localization
•
The characteristics that vary between locales
•
The industry standards governing internationalization
•
The internationalization utilities
•
The HP internationalization subsystem
How to Use This Guide
This guide introduces software internationalization, sometimes referred to as “I18N” or
“i18n”. It gives a general overview of internationalization standards, processes, utilities,
and functions. It is intended for anyone who needs a general understanding of
internationalization and the HP internationalization subsystem.
Readers seeking a basic understanding of internationalization concepts and
characteristics must have a moderate understanding of computer software concepts to
use this guide. Developers who need full reference information to develop
internationalized applications must use this guide with the books listed in Related
Reading on page x.
About the Contents of This Guide
Section 1, Understanding Internationalization Concepts, defines terms associated with
internationalization and localization (sometimes referred to as “L10N” or “l10n”),
explains the need for internationalization, and introduces the HP internationalization
subsystem of the Open System Services (OSS) environment.
Section 2, Software Characteristics That Vary by Locale, examines the characteristics
of different alphabets and discusses how the characteristics affect software designs for
internationalization.
Section 3, POSIX and XPG Internationalization Model, focuses on the POSIX and XPG
internationalization model. It discusses setting locales; writing locale-independent
code; using a messaging system; and converting between code sets.
Section 4, The HP Internationalization Subsystem, describes the HP
internationalization subsystem and its components; lists supported locales and code-
set converters; lists the internationalization functions; and offers guidelines for
designing, developing, compiling, testing, and troubleshooting internationalized
applications.
Appendix A, Software Supporting Multiple Character Sets, describes current and
planned support for two-byte character sets by software used with HP NonStop
servers.
The Glossary defines terms used in this guide.