> -----Original Message-----
> From: Z39.50 Next-Generation Initiative [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
> Robert Sanderson
> Sent: Friday, July 16, 2004 5:16 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: diagnostic examples - revisited
>
>
> > Even if not used the lang thing would have implied that we'd considered
> > the language issue rather than assumed the whole internet spoke
> > English...
>
> Well, we did consider it. And then decided that it wasn't an issue for us
> to deal try to deal with :)
> It's not that everyone needs to speak English, it's that the server will
> return messages appropriate for its typical audience's client to display.
> The Japanese server that accepts pictures of cats called Tama will respond
> with Japanese error messages saying that the picture wasn't in the right
> format. And if I get that error message, I'm going to have to go look up
> the error code to see what went wrong.
>
> This could be noted in the documentation somewhere, if you think that
> would help.
>
>
The only case I can see for a language code is where something has gone
wrong with the error code (it is missing, the "extended error code" for
"incorrectly formatted pictures of cats called Tama" is not known to anyone
outside that server, etc - ok all this shouldn't happen, but there is a real
world out there) and the client system wants/has to fall back on the
supplied error text or generate something bland ("unknown error") of its
own. If the user's language matches that of the text they display it. Of
course if the error code is wrong what trust can be placed in the text or
the language code... you clasp at whatever straws are sent to you.

I think a documentation note would probably cover things.

Peter