Unicode is a computing industry standard that defines a set of text characters used for all modern computer systems. It is maintained by the Unicode Consortium, a non-profit organization that works with industry-leading standards bodies to maintain and expand the Unicode Standard.
The Unicode Standard assigns a unique number, or code point, to each character used in modern computing technologies, including emojis and other symbols. These code points allow multiple computer systems to share data irrespective of what language it is in.
The Unicode Standard is split into several sections – called versions – that contain a specific set of code points for specific usage requirements. For example, version 10.0 defines 11,953 graphic characters, 7,834 format characters, and 513 control characters. As technology and usage requirements change, new versions of the Unicode Standard are released to ensure that they stay up-to-date.
A Unicode-enabled system is required when using symbols and emojis, or for situations which require complex-script languages. Symbols and emojis enable users to quickly convey meaning and emotion in conversation, while complex-script languages refer to writing systems that differ from the standard character set. For example, the Arabic script requires a special set of Unicode-encoded characters.
Unicode is supported across all modern operating systems and almost all modern programming languages. In addition, web browsers support Unicode characters, which enables them to be displayed in webpages.
The Unicode Standard is a critical component for many modern computing applications and plays an important role in the progression of computer technology.
