Re: Japanese input (was RE: tlug: Japanese)

["Matthew J. Francis" <asbel@example.com>]

On 07-Jun-98 Gaspar Sinai wrote:
  
>  Hi Matthew,
>  Nice to meet you on tlug's list :)

Just like a bad penny, I turn up all over the place =^_^=


[...]
  
> I don't think that it would be difficult to port Yudit to GTK. What
> would be really good is to MERGE Yudit with GTK. If you look at Yudit
> 1.0, you can compile it  with Xlib only and Yudit itself provides a
> widget set that uses UTF8 encoded text for labels, menus e.t.c. If
> GTK had it it would be beneficial for all of us.

Having done some work with GTK and GTK--, I think this would not by
any means be an impossible task. The GTK menubar, for example, is already
divided as many ways as possible (i.e. the bar, the menus, and the items
are separate widgets), so to slide in a new sort of menu item should be
easy. Similarly with the many other text-showing widgets that just use
labels.


> To return to the subject of this thread, I always felt a little
> confused about the over-complicated X11 input methods, and that is
> why Yudit mostly uses external roman-transliteration maps. I dont
> think it would be difficult to start a project to make use of those
> Linux guys all around the world and build  uniocde input methods for
> all languages cleaning up all the mess created by this localization
> thing. The first step could be to put Yudit's unicode conversion
> utilities into a library.

A worthy plan. When do we start? :)
(Until this thursday I'm busy with exams, but afterwards...)


> Of course to get all this nicely integrated into GTK would mean that
> we need to attrect the attention of GTK developers.

We can but ask. GTK 1.0 is considered "stable" (API-ly immutable), but
they may well be agreeable to the idea of putting it into 1.2. The GNOME
lot would likely also be worth a ping.


> Perhaps we should put this into KDE first, that usually speeds them
> up :)

GTK already seems to be slightly ahead of the game there - I don't see
any MBCS support in KDE/Qt at all, although they do support European
languages quite well. GTK at least already supports double-byte fonts in
labels and such...

So, the revised plan for total world domination would be something like:

 - Create a library of Unicode support functions from Yudit's existing
   back-end, to provide unified, all-purpose textual conversion and input

 - Start adding widget support directly into GTK/GNOME and/or KDE to
   spread Unicode display support around


This is giving me unworthily large-scale thoughts about a time when
every new application is globalised *by default* ]:).

(The scary part is that I think it could actually be made to happen...)


Cheers,
-Matt.

"The results of this intrusion into your life will be used 'responsibly'
in ways you cannot even begin to imagine. Of course, the innocent have
nothing to fear from the rapidly expanding data industry."
 - Radiohead, Airbag/How Am I Driving?

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