Subject: ISO/IEC 9995-3 international keyboard standard FPDAM

From: Alain LaBonté - 3 <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 01 Dec 1997 16:07:44 -0500

A 17:51 97-11-27 +0100, [email-masked] a écrit :
>Dear Sir,
>
>I've been surveying all the rich exchange on matters pertaining to the
EURO which you have kindly posted to me. Unfortunately I'm unable to always
actively participate in the discussion as it is extremely time consuming.
On the other hand, it is normally (and slightly) out of our mandate as
"Commission".
>Nevertheless, I must not omit to inform you again that the initial proposal
>concerning the placement of the Euro is now approved by the high level
decision making "coordinnation committee for the Euro" (the ISG group)and
it represents from now on the official position of the Commission.
>Mike Ksar and other personnalities of the known industry world as well as
other partners and actors in the standardisation field were and are
informed on that. As a consequence I would kindly invite you to take this
fact into account. 
>This time it is not a mere technical issue. It is a historical step monitored
>in its technical details by the EC's services. Our technical proposal was
>very well thought of and prepared (at least so we think) and received many
>informal appraisal from various parties of which the most important was the 
>industry. It goes the same for many CEN TC304 members. 'TC304' will give
us their input early december on the matter.
>As a conclusion may I ask you to back our proposal in particular for cases
>were ALTGr+E occasions no incovenience and it is by far the SIMPLEST
solution.
>Thank you for your understanding and help indeed
>Best regards and greetings 
>Lazaros TOSSOUNIDIS
>EC IT- Department
>
>PS: Referring to some message exchange I saw on the net, I'd like to
inform     you that the Commission has no mandate to IMPOSE but to
RECOMMEND. In the present case and in view of the political and historical
implications of the
>euro the Commission might appear to strongly recommend the updated
position I've lately sent you. 
> - Thank you again for your kind attention -
>
>LT
>
>I'm once again enclosing a pdf version of our proposal.
>
>
>Attachment Converted: "c:\eudorapro\attach\Acrobat1.pdf"

[Alain] :
The modifications you sent me concern national keyboard layouts. However
ISO/IEC 9995-3 is a supplementary international keyboard layout (group 2)
that contains characters *not* common to *all* European national keyboard
layouts (*by definition* any national layout is known as group 1, the
supplementary layout in question is known as group 2 also *by definition*). 

We have to modify this group 2 layout to include the EURO SYMBOL, so that
this symbol be available even on American, Canadian or non-European
keyboards using the Latin script in one of their layouts, regardless of any
coding used.

At the last JTC1/WG5 meeting, I was mandated to modify the proposed ISO/IEC
9995-3 FPDAM 1 presented by Canada as follows : to reallocate the keyboard
position of the former level 2 of E04 (the key that corresponds in most
groups 1 as digit 4) in group 2 with the EURO SYMBOL to replace the
CURRENCY SYMBOL key allocation. We then open level 3 of group 2 (so far
level 3 waws totally unpopulated in group 2) in allocating the CURRENCY
SYMBOL on level 3 of E04 in group 2. 

The first proposal was changing the allocation of the SHY character in
level 2 of E00 of group 2. This is no longer the case. This is no longer an
issue.

FYI, but that does not disturb the proposal that you made for national
layouts (groups 1), level 1 and 2 of key D03 (the key which allocates
letter E in most groups 1) are already allocated in group 2 with the
LIGATURE OE in lower and upper case. This dates back to the decade-old
standard ISO/IEC 8884 (the editor of this standard was Wolf Arfvidson,
Statskontoret, Sverige, now chair of TC304), replaced  by standard ISO/IEC
9995-3 in 1994 with only slight modifications, the most important one being
the addition of the SHY character.

This looks a bit complicated but usage is in fact very simple once you
forget the coordinates... Fingers fortunately do not have to deal with
that, nor the eyes, when characters are engraved on keys.

I should produce a new version of the FPDAM to 9995-3 this week and I will
send you a copy. JTC1/WG5 decided not to make any recommendation concerning
national keyboard layouts. It will limit its action to the international
keyboard layouts realm.

With my best regards.

Alain LaBonté
Québec