GoKawiilProposal 'UTF-8000' for unbounded UTF-8 draws pushback from original UTF-8 co-creators
A developer named Jay published a proposal called UTF-8000 aiming to remove the size limits of standard UTF-8 encoding, and reached out to Ken Thompson and other researchers behind earlier extension schemes for feedback. Ken Thompson replied with a technical observation about a zigzag signed variant requiring full code-unit reads for string comparison, while another correspondent, Thomas Eugene Bishop, pushed back on the proposal's framing, objecting to language calling rival schemes 'rejected' and disputing the claim that Larry Wall's UTF-8 extension is 'inextensible'.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Character encoding standards affect virtually all software that processes text, so any serious attempt to extend UTF-8's range invites scrutiny from the field's original designers. The exchange shows how proposals claiming to have 'solved' a settled technical space attract pushback both on technical merits and on the rhetoric used to dismiss existing alternatives.
- UTF-8000 proposes extending UTF-8 beyond its current size limits.
- Ken Thompson, co-creator of UTF-8, personally responded with technical feedback.
- Other reviewers challenged the proposal's dismissive framing of competing encoding extensions.
Source: utf-8000.jb2170.com — Rejected Alternatives Authors, 2026-09-20
Published there as: “UTF-8000: Unlimited UTF-8”
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