bugGNU nano - Bugs: bug #45663, Win32 build lacks UTF-8

 
 

bug #45663: Win32 build lacks UTF-8

Submitted by:  Mark D. Blackwell <markdblackwell>
Submitted on:  Fri 31 Jul 2015 12:00:24 AM UTC  
 
Severity: 4 - ImportantStatus: Postponed
Assigned to: Chris Allegretta <astyanax>Open/Closed: Closed

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Tue 11 Jul 2017 01:51:22 PM UTC, comment #3:

Chris, as we're not providing any Windows binary any more, I'm closing this one. Feel free to reopen if you plan to provide such a binary.

Benno Schulenberg <bens>
Project Administrator
Tue 15 Dec 2015 08:26:09 PM UTC, comment #2:

Just wanted to make an update that I am in fact working on this. I plan to use the NSIS installer as it's the most open installer I'm aware of; MSDN can get lost.

The main problem being that Windows is a virus-prone PIA, even the latest version. I somehow contracted a virus on my system just web browsing in Chrome getting things set up. Now that that is dealt with, I'll restart work on the Win32 installer.

Chris Allegretta <astyanax>
Project AdministratorIn charge of this item.
Fri 31 Jul 2015 08:15:30 PM UTC, comment #1:

I neglected the following, required step:

In order for GNU nano (defined as the files mentioned in the initial bug report) to display UTF-8 characters on Windows (either when started from a normal cmd.exe window, or from ConsoleZ), the following Windows environment variables first must be set:

LANG : en_US.UTF-8
TERM : cygwin

(The 'en_US' part can differ, if you like, just not the 'UTF-8' part.)

Mark D. Blackwell <markdblackwell>
Fri 31 Jul 2015 12:00:24 AM UTC, original submission:

At present, Windows (even XP SP3) is pretty thoroughgoing in its support of UTF-8.

General acceptance of UTF-8 (along with Windows' adoption of it) have come to the point where—on Windows—if an editor doesn't support UTF-8, it can be used there IMO only as a toy.

For the latest Win32 build, starting with option `--version' reveals its compile-time options disable UTF-8:

>nano --version

GNU nano, version 2.4.2
(C) 1999..2015 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Email: -unavailable- Web: http://www.nano-editor.org/
Compiled options: --disable-libmagic --disable-mouse --disable-utf8

Its README says, `This version of nano for Win32 systems was compiled using...cygwin and PDCurses 2.4.'

(Source: file `nano-2.4.2-win32/README.TXT' inside `nano-2.4.2.zip' from `http://www.nano-editor.org/dist/v2.4/NT/'.)

However, the compile-time options of Cygwin's latest version (of GNU nano) enable UTF-8:

>nano --version

GNU nano, version 2.4.1
Compiled options: --enable-utf8

BTW, I don't know whether `--enable-utf8' requires ncursesw, or can be done with PDCurses.

These files copied from the latest version of Cygwin (2.1.0-1) allow nano to work fine standalone (without the rest of Cygwin) on my Windows-XP SP3 and Windows-7 boxes—and then nano displays UTF-8 characters:

bin/cyggcc_s-1.dll
bin/cygiconv-2.dll
bin/cygintl-8.dll
bin/cygmagic-1.dll
bin/cygncursesw-10.dll
bin/cygwin1.dll
bin/cygz.dll
bin/nano.exe
lib/terminfo
usr/share/misc/magic
usr/share/misc/magic.mgc
usr/share/terminfo/63/cygwin

In particular, with Cygwin's latest build (of GNU nano), many double-byte UTF-8 characters display fine on Windows—such as:

U+00BB » c2 bb RIGHT-POINTING DOUBLE ANGLE QUOTATION MARK

And if it's started from the program ConsoleZ (rather than from cmd.exe), then many triple-byte UTF-8 characters also display fine—such as:

U+0904 ऄ e0 a4 84 DEVANAGARI LETTER SHORT A

It's true that users of Win32 interested in GNU nano might create their own builds, copy the Cygwin files as above, or even use Lubomir I. Ivanov's build (which includes a customized command console):

http://savannah.gnu.org/users/lubomir_ivanov

but most IMO would just try your official build, and then give up on GNU nano, because it lacks UTF-8 support.

Might you change this practice, and release an official Win32 build which enables UFT-8?

Mark D. Blackwell <markdblackwell>

 

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  • -unavailable- added by bens (Posted a comment)
  • -unavailable- added by astyanax (Updated the item)
  • -unavailable- added by markdblackwell (Submitted the item)
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    Follow 5 latest changes.

    Date Changed By Updated Field Previous Value => Replaced By
    Tue 11 Jul 2017 01:51:22 PM UTCbensStatusIn Progress=>Postponed
      Open/ClosedOpen=>Closed
    Tue 15 Dec 2015 08:26:09 PM UTCastyanaxStatusNone=>In Progress
    Mon 07 Dec 2015 07:57:00 PM UTCastyanaxSeverity3 - Normal=>4 - Important
      Assigned toNone=>astyanax

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