On 10/05/07, John W. Kennedy <jwkenne / attglobal.net> wrote:
> Peter Hickman wrote:
> > I use OS X with all the fonts installed. The biggest problem I have is
> > that many sites do not set the encoding for the pages. I guess someone
> > using a Japanese computer to visit a Japanese web site would not find
> > this a problem as the default will be to assume that the site is
> > Japanese but for me it can be pretty much impossible to view some sites
> > unless I am prepared to try every possible encoding (and then find out
> > that they are really written in Chinese or Korean).
>
> > I understand that IE can make a pretty good guess at the encoding if it
> > does not look like Latin but Safari does not seem to hack it.
>
> Browsers aren't supposed to guess. That IE guesses simply means that IE
> has yet another bug, born out of Microsoft's typical arrogant refusal to
> follow standards.
>
> Servers that do not identify the correct encoding are bugged, too. Bitch
> to the webmasters until they fix it. Their sites are broken, and should
> be fixed. Period.
>
It may be viewed as refusal to follow standards and encouraging bad
webmaster practices (using some proprietary Windows encoding and
relying on Explorer to guess right). On the other hand, it could be
seen as an attempt to remove some burden from the users. A web browser
developer may implement scheme for guessing the encoding on sites that
do not specify it but cannot fix the sites.

However, the right implementation would also include a big fat warning
about the encoding being guessed. This serves both to let the user
know that the site is deficient and may be displayed incorrectly and
to remind the web developer that it should be fixed.

Thanks

Michal