Unicode overview

Unicode is a standard that precisely defines a character set as well as a small number of encodings for it. It enables you to handle text in any language efficiently.

What is Unicode

Unicode is a standard that enables you to handle text in any language. With Unicode, a single application can work for users all over the world.

Before Unicode, the encoding systems that existed did not cover all the necessary numbers, characters, and symbols in use. Different encoding systems might assign the same number to different characters. If you used the wrong encoding system, your output might not have been what you expected to see.

Unicode provides a unique number for every character, regardless of the platform, language, or program.

By using Unicode, you can develop a software product that works with various platforms, languages, and countries.

Why use Unicode

The operating system provides multilingual support. Unicode provides the means to store and retrieve data in the national language that you choose in a single file. Unicode, therefore, provides one database file to support all text needs, regardless of the language of the input device. For example, the same file can have text in Greek, Russian, and English.