Hi Hans,

This file:

%% eth-hans-1.tex

\starttext

what do you get when you run that with \tracingall

Testing... ð

\catcode`ð=\active \defð{^^F0}

\tracingall

Testing... ð

and what does

%\show ð

return? and what

Testing... ðaaa

Hans

\stoptext

%% end eth-hans-1.tex

typeset with XeConTeXt gives a PDF where again one has "Testing... ð" in the first occurence, and then "Testing... ° 0", and the process takes some 41 seconds...