Tyler Zesiger wrote:
> Actually, Unix editors aren't different - they're the same as every 
> other text editor was 20 years ago. That is to say, obsolete. (or should 
> I say obsol33t?)

Please, Unix editors like vi/vim and emacs _do_ evolve improve over time 
(although I personally don't use vi & emacs). Tell that to Windows, 
whose Notepad, last time I checked, hasn't even got a Replace 
functionality. You said that Notepad has been superceded. Then Why 
doesn't Microsoft include a better product (a text editor is certainly 
as least as important as a web browser).

> It's ironic you should sarcastically mention Chinese as being out of 
> date, because that's *exactly* how it's viewed in China. China has 
> always had a literacy problem because the Chinese language, the 
> characters specifically, were just too difficult to master. So, in 
> modern times, the Chinese government has pushed for it to be simplified 
> in an effort to improve literacy rates. 

Taiwan still prefers the traditional instead of the simplified notation.

> It's impossible to build a 
> technologically advanced populace when the primary barrier to entry 
> isn't higher education, it's mastering your own language.

Btw, there is a survey that Japanese/Chinese students score 3 IQ points 
higher than American ones, and this is attributed to the character 
system that the students use. Apparently, having to learn thousands of 
different complex characters help developing the logical/spatial skills.

-- 
dave