Hi Nick,   
      
   >> Set up makenl_ng, and test it out with some characters as in Bjorn's first   
   >> name, maybe use them in your own name for instance perhaps with a test node   
      
   > Did this. I threw an alt-154 into a random name and ran a process. The output   
   >was the same. I got a ?? in place of it. This can only be concluded that maken   
   > needs to be updated to support utf-8 and/or high ascii, is all. Though that's   
   > only one step, as in that's just the nodelist.   
      
   That's right.   
      
   >Then it would have to be taken   
   > care of in Fidonet as a whole. Which with the random amounts of different BBS   
   > softwares out there (some of which aren't even maintained anymore), it will   
   >probably be quite difficult. It would probably be more of a "some will move on   
   > others won't" kind of deal, I suppose.   
      
   I expect that will always be the case in Fidonet.  Especially when we get   
   folks dusting off their systems and coming back.. they may not want to use   
   something alien to them... their choice.   
      
   Now, while Kim Heino for example has been absolutely great about updating   
   BBBS, I certainly would understand if for whatever reason he decides that this   
   is not something he wants to do. BBBS supports the following:   
      
   ISO Latin-1    8bit, used in most InterNet systems  (default)   
   IBM PC         8bit, used in most BBS systems   
   Finnish        7bit, used in some BBS in Finland   
   Norwegian      7bit, used in some BBS in Norway   
   UK             7bit, no national charset conversion   
   MAC            8bit, used by MAC computers   
      
   I'm using ISO for incoming and outgoing. Maybe it wouldn't be hard for him to   
   add UTF-8, I have no idea.   
      
   > I also refuse to use an NNTP reader on my BBS. That's like blasphemy, and   
   >stuff. But like I said, I've seen some high ascii characters come through just   
   > fine here at The Pharcyde. It only seems as though sometimes it gets jumbled   
   > up.   
      
   They don't look very good here.   
      
   Take care,   
   Janis   
      
   --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Dada-1   
    * Origin: Prism bbs (1:261/38)