PayPal is now available in 103 markets worldwide, with a local presence in 13 countries outside of the U.S. However, this has not always been the case. PayPal’s experience shows that even a company with a large codebase, large quantities of data and a high transaction volume can successfully migrate to Unicode. In this very candid article, Scott Atwood (Development Technical Lead for PayPal’s Global Foundations Engineering) explains how his team overcame several obstacles to enable the company’s global reach.
Editor’s Note: If you find yourself in the same position as the PayPal team with a project that is beginning to run way over time and budget, then contact LISA at lisa@lisa.org, so that we can help extricate you! Several of our Members have already been through this scenario and can help you get your project back on-track. Or, consider joining LISA, so that you can network directly yourself. Visit http://www.lisa.org/info/membership.html.
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