Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) K. Whistler
Request for Comments: 6082 Sybase, Inc.
Obsoletes: 2482 G. Adams
Category: Informational Skynav (Phil), Inc.
ISSN: 2070-1721 M. Duerst
Aoyama Gakuin University
R. Presuhn, Ed.
J. Klensin
November 2010
Deprecating Unicode Language Tag Characters: RFC 2482 is Historic
Whistler, et al. Informational [Page 1]
RFC 6082 RFC 2482 to Historic November 2010
Copyright Notice
1. Introduction
RFC 2482, "Language Tagging in Unicode Plain Text" [RFC2482], describes a mechanism for using special Unicode language tag characters to identify languages when needed. It is an idea whose time never quite came. It has been superseded by whole-transaction language identification such as the MIME Content-language header [RFC3282] and more general markup mechanisms such as those provided by XML. The Unicode Consortium has deprecated the language tag character facility and strongly recommends against its use. RFC 2482 has been moved to Historic status to reduce the possibility that Internet implementers would consider that tagging system an appropriate mechanism for identifying languages.
2. Action
RFC 2482 has been deprecated and reclassified as Historic. Internet protocols and Standards-Track documents should not use the facilities described in that document.
Whistler, et al. Informational [Page 2]
RFC 6082 RFC 2482 to Historic November 2010 3. Security ConsiderationsBy deprecating RFC 2482, we eliminate a facility that is no longer encouraged or supported by the Unicode Consortium and that may have been slightly risky in use if misinterpreted or if expectations of support were not met. So, if this action has any effect on Internet security at all, it should be positive.
4. Acknowledgments
Helpful comments were received from Peter Koch and S. Moonesamy.5. References 5.1. Normative References[RFC2482] Whistler, K. and G. Adams, "Language Tagging in Unicode
5.2. Informative References
[RFC3282] Alvestrand, H., "Content Language Headers", RFC 3282,
Whistler, et al. Informational [Page 3]
RFC 6082 RFC 2482 to Historic November 2010
Authors' Addresses