Re: tlug: Re: Japanese input

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <turnbull@example.com>]

>>>>> "Matt" == Matthew J Francis <asbel@example.com> writes:

On 15-Jun-98 Stephen J. Turnbull wrote:

    >> This is getting on towards supporting locales, don't you think?

    Matt> Yes, in the widgets. That's tangential, however, to my
    Matt> original assertion that a general input protocol/server can
    Matt> be designed without any particular knowledge of the locale
    Matt> of the conversions it serves; it need not know of locale,
    Matt> only of conversion. Alright, admittedly the line is a fine
    Matt> one.

It needs to be sufficiently general, it need to know what the union of
features of locales current and yet to be defined are.  This is not a
program, nor a systems product, nor yet a programming system.  It is
(one component of) a programming systems product.  Cf. Brooks, _The
Mythical Man-Month_, Ch. 1: The Tar Pit.

    Matt> One very real problem, however, could be the combination of
    Matt> programs that have been designed with horizontal Entry
    Matt> widgets with languages that are only written vertically.

Good point.  Let's remember this one.

    Matt> Implementing that, then, would likely require the close
    Matt> attention of native writers of the relevant
    Matt> languages. Leaving sufficient flexibility to allow their
    Matt> implementation, though, should be achievable without.
[...]
    Matt> These points are good - but we are skipping, I think, a
    Matt> little too far ahead of implementation. Once there is code,
    Matt> it will stand criticism of its generality and
    Matt> future-proofness.

Then you and I disagree about the state of the art and the size of the
problem.  You're much more optimistic than I am.

    Matt> Are there good Free fonts for Arabic and Devanagari?

Free fonts exist in the Mule distribution; good redistributable ones,
maybe, in the redistributable Unicode fonts.  (Bitstream has
contributed one maybe?)

    >> It's an awfully heavy-weight way to enter name and address in a
    >> web browser HTML order form, wouldn't you say?

    Matt> Yes, I would so say. Something a little lighter-weight is
    Matt> needed...

Bzzt.  Not if XEmacs is already the center of your work environment.
Then its additional weight, if used as a widget for other apps, is
about that of a neutrino.  And the ease of use is nearly infinite.

Such environments are rare, though.

OK, you're ready to start coding, and I'm ready to start criticizing.
Let's go!

行こうぞ！

--------------------------------------------------------------
Next Nomikai: 17 July, 19:30 Tengu TokyoEkiMae 03-3275-3691
Next Meeting: 8 August, Tokyo Station Yaesu central gate 12:30
*** 20 June: TLUG will be at the Tokyo Linux Fair
http://tlug.linux.or.jp/projects/linux-fair/fair.html
--------------------------------------------------------------
Sponsor: PHT, makers of TurboLinux http://www.pht.co.jp