[plt-scheme] Why do MzScheme ports not respect the locale's encoding by default?

> From: Jim Blandy <jimb at redhat.com>
> Just to keep things from getting foggy: the change I'm suggesting
> falls in your first category ("enabling programming languages ..."),
> not the latter ones ("alternative formatting convention ...").

I think I understand, and although believe that it's reasonable desire
extended locale sensitive format library support functions; it would
seem that they should more likely be controlled programmatically, (i.e.
via explicit call parameters), not via local host's locale settings; as
it would seem that when such flexibility is desired, it's just as likely
that the locale scheme desired that of a remote platform; either on the
other end of a wire, or file destined to be rendered elsewhere?

Ironically implying, that even locale sensitive formatting functions may
not truly be required, as opposed to the definition of some canonical basis
of the information itself; then implying a single universal format, from
which other locale sensitive renderings may be derived; thereby implying
the ideal need for very specific locale aware text/language rendering
functions, but little need if any need for generalized locale aware
formatting functions, as most processing would be done on the canonical,
not localized representation of information.)

So rather than folks trying to figure out how to fiddle with various
language sensitive encodings on each platform, wonder if it makes sense
to spend the time and energy defining a standard canonical representation
for basic stuff like date, time, location, numeric values, units, etc.
thereby at least eliminating a bulk of the generic locale issues, leaving
likely only the stuff which is too language/context sensitive to even be
attempted to be handled in a generic way, as would require very specific
processing, likely well beyond the scope of any specific language feature.

(possibly even beyond the scope of scheme's charter, but someone needs to)