From ilug-admin@linux.ie Wed Jul 31 20:45:46 2002
Return-Path: <ilug-admin@linux.ie>
Delivered-To: yyyy@localhost.netnoteinc.com
Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1])
by phobos.labs.netnoteinc.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 10F05440C8
for <jm@localhost>; Wed, 31 Jul 2002 15:45:46 -0400 (EDT)
Received: from phobos [127.0.0.1]
by localhost with IMAP (fetchmail-5.9.0)
for jm@localhost (single-drop); Wed, 31 Jul 2002 20:45:46 +0100 (IST)
Received: from lugh.tuatha.org (root@lugh.tuatha.org [194.125.145.45]) by
dogma.slashnull.org (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g6VJcH206749 for
<jm-ilug@jmason.org>; Wed, 31 Jul 2002 20:38:17 +0100
Received: from lugh (root@localhost [127.0.0.1]) by lugh.tuatha.org
(8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id UAA24482; Wed, 31 Jul 2002 20:34:57 +0100
Received: from linux.local ([195.218.108.229]) by lugh.tuatha.org
(8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id UAA24452 for <ilug@linux.ie>; Wed,
31 Jul 2002 20:34:49 +0100
X-Authentication-Warning: lugh.tuatha.org: Host [195.218.108.229] claimed
to be linux.local
Received: from linux.local (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by linux.local
(8.11.6/8.11.6/SuSE Linux 0.5) with ESMTP id g6VHvoX11572 for
<ilug@linux.ie>; Wed, 31 Jul 2002 18:57:50 +0100
Message-Id: <200207311757.g6VHvoX11572@linux.local>
To: Irish Linux Users Group <ilug@linux.ie>
Reply-To: Irish Linux Users Group <ilug@linux.ie>
Subject: Re: [ILUG] inputting chinese characters in Redhat 7.3
In-Reply-To: Message from Fergal Daly <fergal@esatclear.ie> of
"Wed, 31 Jul 2002 23:11:49 +0800."
<200207312311.49122.fergal@esatclear.ie>
X-Mailer: [nmh-1.0.4] MH.6.8, SuSE Linux 7.3
X-Url: http://www.blf.utvinternet.ie
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
Content-Id: <11569.1028138270.1@linux.local>
Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2002 18:57:50 +0100
From: Brian Foster <blf@utvinternet.ie>
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by lugh.tuatha.org id
UAA24452
Sender: ilug-admin@linux.ie
Errors-To: ilug-admin@linux.ie
X-Mailman-Version: 1.1
Precedence: bulk
List-Id: Irish Linux Users' Group <ilug.linux.ie>
X-Beenthere: ilug@linux.ie
| Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2002 23:11:49 +0800
| From: Fergal Daly <fergal@esatclear.ie>
|
| 7.3 seems to support Chinese input out of the box, it's got
| miniChinput and some other stuff no documentation. [ ... ]
| google is a bit of a dead too.
|
| Can anyone tell me what I should do?
I've no idea, but a relevant/useful source of info could
be the «linux-utf8» e-list:
http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/unicode.html
http://mail.nl.linux.org/linux-utf8/
whilst the list is nominally about UTF-8/Unicode and Linux,
it often delves into related areas (such as input methods).
my (vague!) understanding of the state-of-play is there are
multiple ways of keyboarding scripts such as "Chinese", and
the choice of method is a mixture of personal preference,
equipment (e.g. your keyboard), and the tool/application
in question.
w.r.t. X11 applications, it seems to boil down to two
approaches: one unique to the tool itself (apparently
`yudit' is famous for this); or else using what's called
an XIM (X Input Method).
WARNING: I am now guessing quite a bit here, based mostly on
my interpretation of what I've read whilst lurking,
and watching a few people keyboarding a Japanese
script years ago! *** your mileage will vary! ***
XIMs generally work as a complex compose frontend. i.e., you
build up your character as a series of composes of the root or
fundamental strokes ("radicals", I think they are called), and
then "commit" the composite character to the application.
( yes, keyboarding these scripts _is_ quite slow, I believe
a good typist can only do a few characters a minute!
and I assume using a qwerty keyboard is very painful. )
some XIMs compose "in place", others do it on a special line,
and some seem to do it in a special window (or the root?).
also, some(/most?) XIMs apparently support a US-ASCII input
mode as well --- _not_ a general Latin-alphabet input mode,
which seems to require another TLA, called KBD, and which
apparently doesn't work when an XIM is also being used? ---
implying you have to switch back and forth between US-ASCII
input mode (what us English-speakers would call "normal"
keyboarding/typing), and the other input (e.g., Chinese).
I'm not sure, but I have the impression the switch is often
a toggle, and something like <Control><CapsLock>.
many apologies if this is completely wrong or too misleading.
cheers!
-blf-
p.s. b.t.w., you almost certainly want to be using a UTF-8
locale. if RH 7.3 is the so-called "limbo" release,
then you may quite possibility be using one by default.
--
«How many surrealists does it take to | Brian Foster Dublin, Ireland
change a lightbulb? Three. One calms | e-mail: blf@utvinternet.ie
the warthog, and two fill the bathtub | mobile: (+353 or 0)86 854 9268
with brightly-coloured machine tools.» | http://www.blf.utvinternet.ie
Stop E$$o (ExxonMobile): «Whatever you do, don't buy Esso --- they
don't give a damn about global warming.» http://www.stopesso.com
Supported by Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, and numerous others...
--
Irish Linux Users' Group: ilug@linux.ie
http://www.linux.ie/mailman/listinfo/ilug for (un)subscription information.
List maintainer: listmaster@linux.ie