As its title suggests, Developing International Software is a reference book on software internationalization. It is written for a beginner-level to intermediate-level audience in the field of internationalization, though it is assumed that programmers, testers, and project managers are already proficient in their respective areas of expertise. From a platform standpoint, the book chiefly targets Microsoft Windows XP, as well as Microsoft Windows 2000. Its scope does not include Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows 98, and Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me), except with regard to backward-compatibility issues. The programming languages included in this book's purview are C and C++ when developing Microsoft Win32 and console applications, Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript) when working with Dynamic HTML (DHTML), and Microsoft C# when developing software applications within the Microsoft .NET Framework.

Organization of the Book

The material in this book is divided into seven parts:

Part I: Introduction
Part II: Globalization
Part III: Localizability
Part IV: Localization
Part V: Testing
Part IV: Tools and Technologies
Part VII: Appendixes

Part I introduces you to the fundamentals of software internationalization and to concepts used throughout the book. Part II, which comprises the bulk of the book, addresses crucial globalization issues. Whether you are planning to localize your application or not, Part II provides essential concepts and technical guidance.

Part III examines how to make your software application and content localizable, whereas Part IV discusses guidelines that are essential for software and content localization and identifies issues that can hinder your product's localization. Part V shows how to conduct testing and contains a handy testing reference: "Sample International Test Cases." Part VI offers a brief sampling of useful tools and technologies that Microsoft has made available for creating a world-ready application, and points you to additional references. Finally, Part VII contains an assortment of other valuable reference material as well as the book's main glossary. (You can find more information about the purpose and content of the book's divisions within each part's introduction.)

In addition to the main glossary, you will find smaller glossaries within each chapter itself. These glossaries are intended as a convenient reference in case you are not familiar with terms that appear within that chapter. The main glossary contains all chapter glossary terms in addition to other terms.

Companion CD-ROM

Accompanying Developing International Software, Second Edition, is a companion CD-ROM, which includes an electronic version of the book; tools and utilities related to globalization; sample applications; and additional resources—code page tables, mapping tables between Unicode code points and code pages available on Windows platforms, HTM Auto Layout (HAL), Microsoft IME Application Interface, and a sample business case for international development.

The companion CD-ROM contains the following items:

Extras folder with a variety of international-related documents that include:

Windows and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) codepage tables
Mapping tables between Unicode code points and code pages available on Windows platforms
An HTML Auto Layout Rules (HAL) document to create HTML pages, dialogs, and user interfaces that need no resizing after translation
A sample business case for international development
Input Method Editor (IME) documentation that gives a brief overview of Microsoft IME 2002 the Japanese version API in terms of functionality and API format

Samples folder, with samples and coding solutions for various international-related applications and demonstration tools. Included are examples involving Microsoft Win32, Web, and Microsoft .NET Framework applications.
Tools folder, with some handy, international-specific tools.
A fully searchable electronic version of the book (eBook).

Using the CD-ROM

To use the companion CD-ROM, place it in your CD-ROM drive. Autorun will launch a starting menu. If the starting menu does not launch automatically, it can be accessed by running StartCD.exe in the disc's root folder.

About the eBook

The companion CD-ROM includes an electronic version of the book that you can view using Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01 or later. To use the eBook, select the eBook option from the Autorun menu or run Autorun.exe in the eBook folder and follow the instructions that appear on your screen. If you do not have Internet Explorer 5.01 or later installed, the eBook setup program will offer to install Internet Explorer 5.5 components for you. Setup has been configured to preserve your current settings and associations. If you are using a system running Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 or later (including Microsoft Windows 2000 and Microsoft Windows XP), you will need administrative privileges to install the eBook.

Note Appendixes A-Y of the book appear as PDF files (viewable with Adobe Acrobat) that can be accessed through the CD-ROM menu.

Web Links

All Web links that appear were valid at the time this book was written. Due to the dynamic nature of the Internet, however, it cannot be guaranteed that these links will remain the same. If you find that one of the links is no longer current, try searching for the topic of interest at http://msdn.microsoft.com, http://www.microsoft.com/globaldev, or http://www.microsoft.com/globaldev/dis_v2.

Questions and Feedback

The technology and international conventions included in this handbook are likely to evolve from the time of this writing. Some information in the appendixes, such as address formats and paper sizes, is provided to show you the kinds of defaults that change from country to country. Always double-check this information when applying it to your product. Updates and any corrections to material in this book will be published at http://www.microsoft.com/globaldev/dis_v2. Please send questions and feedback to Dr. International - drintl@microsoft.com.

How to Use This Book