Ever tried looking at a Vietnamese website? Their written language isnt covered by the standard ASCII or EBCDIC character set, as I have seen.
But nearly all libraries and interface drivers dont mangle characters as they pass through. The biggest problems I have seen are in implementing the UI correctly. Japanese alone has two or three encodings in wide use(one is almost dead now, and EUC is becoming defacto).
And even beyond THAT, at least in the non-shrinkwrap software business, is the localization of functionality. Japanese businesses do a lot of things like in America and in Europe, but they have a lot of their own touches that allow them to provide services to their customers the way their culture dictates. Dont worry too much about translation and encodings; worry more about targeting your customers correctly! That really is what will help determine the success and acceptance of your product, whatever it may be.
People throughout the world like things American and European, but they still have their own way of doing things!:)
Dont expect any bargaining to go on, especially on any new items, and especially at the old stores. Most likely they will look at you funny and decide they dont have a serious customer on their hands. Well, not all of them. hehe. There are numerous second-hand stores for hardware and software, and you can probably do some finagling. And you can find absolutely anything there, but it would take a lot of time. Best to have an idea of what you want to find and aclimatize to know what places are most likely to have it.
For lunch, try "kichin jiro" which is across the street from the big Laox Computer building. Cross the zebra and make a left and a quick right and it's just on the right. They have breaded pork, chicken, croquette, fish, etc. plus miso soup rice and sauce. It's a good amount for the price(roughly $6). Also, I like Mister Donuts for a quick stop, especially on a cold day like you might be going on!:)
And I dont mean to nitpick, but it's not "the Akihabara" nor "the Ginza", just like it's not "the Los Angeles" or "the Hollywood". (hey, just trying to keep you from sticking out any further than you have to, like a sore thumb!;P)
And stay away from broadcats products. I dont know specifically about TVs, but radios will do nothing for you. I think only Europe shares a similar FM band. (take it from a guy who brought back a car stero/MD player to America and ended up listening to nothing but AM news channels and MDs.;P) But VCRs are no problem. Nor are CD and tape players.
Anyways, have fun!:)
Slashdot Mirror
Ever tried looking at a Vietnamese website? Their written language isnt covered by the standard ASCII or EBCDIC character set, as I have seen. But nearly all libraries and interface drivers dont mangle characters as they pass through. The biggest problems I have seen are in implementing the UI correctly. Japanese alone has two or three encodings in wide use(one is almost dead now, and EUC is becoming defacto). And even beyond THAT, at least in the non-shrinkwrap software business, is the localization of functionality. Japanese businesses do a lot of things like in America and in Europe, but they have a lot of their own touches that allow them to provide services to their customers the way their culture dictates. Dont worry too much about translation and encodings; worry more about targeting your customers correctly! That really is what will help determine the success and acceptance of your product, whatever it may be. People throughout the world like things American and European, but they still have their own way of doing things!:)
Doh! That is supposed to be "especially at the new stores."!! hehe
Dont expect any bargaining to go on, especially on any new items, and especially at the old stores. Most likely they will look at you funny and decide they dont have a serious customer on their hands. Well, not all of them. hehe. There are numerous second-hand stores for hardware and software, and you can probably do some finagling. And you can find absolutely anything there, but it would take a lot of time. Best to have an idea of what you want to find and aclimatize to know what places are most likely to have it. For lunch, try "kichin jiro" which is across the street from the big Laox Computer building. Cross the zebra and make a left and a quick right and it's just on the right. They have breaded pork, chicken, croquette, fish, etc. plus miso soup rice and sauce. It's a good amount for the price(roughly $6). Also, I like Mister Donuts for a quick stop, especially on a cold day like you might be going on!:) And I dont mean to nitpick, but it's not "the Akihabara" nor "the Ginza", just like it's not "the Los Angeles" or "the Hollywood". (hey, just trying to keep you from sticking out any further than you have to, like a sore thumb!;P) And stay away from broadcats products. I dont know specifically about TVs, but radios will do nothing for you. I think only Europe shares a similar FM band. (take it from a guy who brought back a car stero/MD player to America and ended up listening to nothing but AM news channels and MDs.;P) But VCRs are no problem. Nor are CD and tape players. Anyways, have fun! :)