Re: [Digi-developer] Country codes change!

[<ina...@wo...>]

The country information is already normalized and contained in the 
DG_COUNTRIES
table. Which means  - none of the modules should be using it directly, but 
all of them
through a foreign key referring to DG_COUNTRIES. This means that if 
there's really
a need to change ISO code - it will only be changed in one place, hence 
there's no
problem.

Very important point here is what J2SE is using as part of its 
internationalization framework
as the main architectural point for us is to use standard Java I18N. 
Creating an ad-hoc imple-
mentation for this would be a great architectural mistake.

Actually, there's already a misusage in Digi, which came from copying 
approaches taken
in ACS-TCL and because of that we now have problems representing thing 
like:
Castilian Spanish and Latin-American Spanish, the same goes for 
Portuguese, English
etc. Java has a clean solution for this but unfortunately, not enough 
effort was put, or
there was not enough time to, when our translation system was implemented. 


Fortunately, by using ISO2, we still fall in the simple scenario of Java 
I18N, even though
we do not use it to the full extent. As part of the Kernel refactoring, 
there will be effort
dedicated to fix the problem.

Using ISO2 (and not ISO3 or, God forbid us,  some ad-hoc country code ) is 
absolutely
crucial fot the framework architecture as a whole.

Any application-specific problems, like codes coming differently from 
different sources
should be solved in the application logic.

thanks 

Irakli 

P.S. Country codes and politics is a complicated science. There will 
always be cases
that can not be pre-addressed and will have to be addressed when those 
take place.

It does not only happen that countries change code but countries also fall 
apart from
time to time - e.g. Soviet Union, or the same - former Yugoslavia. No 
numeric country
id can help with that.

So I think, while it is good to think and know about the issues, I do not 
think it is relevant 
to try, for the sake of partial solution of the problem, to re-implement 
what is fundamentally 
standard in Java - the platform we use.





vam...@wo...
Sent by: dig...@li...
12/18/2003 03:19 PM
 

 
        To:     <dig...@li...>
        cc: 
        Subject:        [Digi-developer] Country codes change!



folks, did you know that country codes change.
Right, not that often but this is what just happened to Yugoslavia.
and those who is using iso codes for mappings have a small problem now.

solution with using custom country IDs though now seems to be smart.
agree?


Vahan Amirbekyan
The World Bank
1850 I Street, NW, Washington, DC 20433
Tel: 202 / 473-3114 (office)
vam...@wo...
VISIT:   www.developmentgateway.org
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