Re: Update Unicode data to Unicode 16.0.0

On Tue, Mar 18, 2025 at 11:54 AM Jeff Davis <pgsql(at)j-davis(dot)com> wrote:
> What do you think of Tom's argument that waiting to update Unicode is
> what creates the problem in the first place?
>
> "by then they might well have instances of the newly-assigned code
> points in their database"[1]

I know you weren't asking me, but FWIW, I think Tom has a point, but I
also don't completely buy it. There's no technological safeguard
against people using Unicode points before they're assigned, so we
can't assume that no one ever does. And they probably do.

I think Joe has the right idea. The way to actually provide the
stability that people want here is to continue supporting old versions
while adding support for new versions. Anything else we do works
subject to assumptions: you can either assume that people don't use
code points before they're assigned (as Tom proposes) or you can
assume that not updating to newer Unicode specs will not cause any
problems for anyone. Joe's proposal is unique in requiring no
assumptions about what users will do or what they care about. It just
works, period. The only disadvantage is that it's more work for us,
but this problem has caused enough suffering over the years that I bet
we can find hackers to implement it and maintain it on an ongoing
basis without great difficulty.

--
Robert Haas
EDB: http://www.enterprisedb.com