Kamenický encoding
Encyclopedia
The Kamenický encoding named for the brothers Jiří and Marian Kamenický, was a code page
for personal computer
s running MS-DOS
, very popular in Czechoslovakia
(since 1993, the Czech Republic
and Slovakia
) around 1985–1995. Another name for this encoding is KEYBCS2, the name of the Terminate and Stay Resident
utility which implemented the matching keyboard
driver
.
It was actually a Code page 437
encoding (with accented characters for Western-European languages) where the characters from codepoints 128 to 171 were replaced by Czech
and Slovak
characters chosen so that the glyph
s of the replacement characters resembled those of the original as closely as possible, e. g. č
in the place of ç
. This ensured that text in the Kamenický encoding was (barely) readable even on older or cheap computers with the original fonts (which were often in videocard ROM
, making modification difficult, if not impossible).
A supplemental feature was that the block graphic characters of code page 437 remained unchanged (IBM
's official Central-European code page 852
did not have this property, making programs like Norton Commander
look funny with corners and joints of border lines broken by accented letters).
The widespread use of the Kamenický encoding was undermined neither by IBM's code page 852, nor by the Windows 3.1
introducing Microsoft Central Europe code page 1250
. Only with Windows 95
and the spreading deployment of Microsoft Office
did users begin to use code page 1250, which in turn is now obsoleted by Unicode
.
The Kamenický encoding was sometimes called code page 895 (CP895), but IBM uses this code page number for a different encoding, Japan 7-Bit Latin (00895) http://www-03.ibm.com/servers/eserver/iseries/software/globalization/codepages.html, and the IANA
does not recognize the number at all.
code point and its decimal code point. Only the second half of the table (code points 128–255) is shown, the first half (code points 0–127) being the same as ASCII
.
Code page
Code page is another term for character encoding. It consists of a table of values that describes the character set for a particular language. The term code page originated from IBM's EBCDIC-based mainframe systems, but many vendors use this term including Microsoft, SAP, and Oracle Corporation...
for personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
s running MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
, very popular in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
(since 1993, the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
) around 1985–1995. Another name for this encoding is KEYBCS2, the name of the Terminate and Stay Resident
Terminate and Stay Resident
Terminate and Stay Resident is a computer system call in DOS computer operating systems that returns control to the system as if the program has quit, but keeps the program in memory...
utility which implemented the matching keyboard
Keyboard (computing)
In computing, a keyboard is a typewriter-style keyboard, which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys, to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches...
driver
Device driver
In computing, a device driver or software driver is a computer program allowing higher-level computer programs to interact with a hardware device....
.
It was actually a Code page 437
Code page 437
IBM PC or MS-DOS code page 437 is the character set of the original IBM PC. It is also known as CP 437, OEM 437, PC-8, MS-DOS Latin US or sometimes misleadingly referred to as the OEM font, High ASCII or Extended ASCII....
encoding (with accented characters for Western-European languages) where the characters from codepoints 128 to 171 were replaced by Czech
Czech alphabet
The Czech alphabet is a version of the Latin script, used when writing Czech. Its basic principles are "one sound, one letter" and the addition of diacritical marks above letters to represent sounds alien to Latin...
and Slovak
Slovak alphabet
The Slovak alphabet uses a modification of the Latin alphabet. The modifications include the four diacriticals placed above certain letters. Therefore the Slovak alphabet has 46 graphemes.- Vowels :- Consonants :Notes...
characters chosen so that the glyph
Glyph
A glyph is an element of writing: an individual mark on a written medium that contributes to the meaning of what is written. A glyph is made up of one or more graphemes....
s of the replacement characters resembled those of the original as closely as possible, e. g. č
C
Ĉ or ĉ is a consonant in Esperanto orthography, representing the sound .Esperanto orthography uses a diacritic for all four of its postalveolar consonants, as do the Latin-based Slavic alphabets...
in the place of ç
Ç
is a Latin script letter, used in the Albanian, Azerbaijani, Ligurian, Tatar, Turkish, Turkmen, Kurdish and Zazaki alphabets. This letter also appears in Catalan, French, Friulian, Occitan and Portuguese as a variant of the letter “c”...
. This ensured that text in the Kamenický encoding was (barely) readable even on older or cheap computers with the original fonts (which were often in videocard ROM
Read-only memory
Read-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
, making modification difficult, if not impossible).
A supplemental feature was that the block graphic characters of code page 437 remained unchanged (IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
's official Central-European code page 852
Code page 852
Code page 852 is a code page used under MS-DOS to write Central European languages that use Latin script ....
did not have this property, making programs like Norton Commander
Norton Commander
Norton Commander was a prototypical orthodox file manager , written by John Socha and released by Peter Norton Computing . NC is a file manager which provides a text user interface on top of DOS. It was officially produced by Symantec between 1986 and 1998...
look funny with corners and joints of border lines broken by accented letters).
The widespread use of the Kamenický encoding was undermined neither by IBM's code page 852, nor by the Windows 3.1
Windows 3.1x
Windows 3.1x is a series of 16-bit operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers. The series began with Windows 3.1, which was first sold during March 1992 as a successor to Windows 3.0...
introducing Microsoft Central Europe code page 1250
Windows-1250
Windows-1250 is a code page used under Microsoft Windows to represent texts in Central European and Eastern European languages that use Latin script, such as Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Slovene, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian , Romanian and Albanian...
. Only with Windows 95
Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products...
and the spreading deployment of Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office is a non-free commercial office suite of inter-related desktop applications, servers and services for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, introduced by Microsoft in August 1, 1989. Initially a marketing term for a bundled set of applications, the first version of...
did users begin to use code page 1250, which in turn is now obsoleted by Unicode
Unicode
Unicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems...
.
The Kamenický encoding was sometimes called code page 895 (CP895), but IBM uses this code page number for a different encoding, Japan 7-Bit Latin (00895) http://www-03.ibm.com/servers/eserver/iseries/software/globalization/codepages.html, and the IANA
Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority is the entity that oversees global IP address allocation, autonomous system number allocation, root zone management in the Domain Name System , media types, and other Internet Protocol-related symbols and numbers...
does not recognize the number at all.
Character table
Each character is shown with its equivalent UnicodeUnicode
Unicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems...
code point and its decimal code point. Only the second half of the table (code points 128–255) is shown, the first half (code points 0–127) being the same as ASCII
ASCII
The American Standard Code for Information Interchange is a character-encoding scheme based on the ordering of the English alphabet. ASCII codes represent text in computers, communications equipment, and other devices that use text...
.
| -0 | -1 | -2 | -3 | -4 | -5 | -6 | -7 | -8 | -9 | -A | -B | -C | -D | -E | -F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
See also
- Mazovia encodingMazovia encodingMazovia encoding is used under MS-DOS to represent Polish texts. Basically it is code page 437 with some positions filled with Polish letters.-Code page layout:Each character is shown with its equivalent Unicode code point and its decimal code point...
– similar codepage for Polish