Back to Sri Lanka (conceptually)

by Michael S. Kaplan, published on 2008/06/21 12:01 -04:00, original URI: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/michkap/archive/2008/06/21/8632391.aspx

I've been blogging about Sinhalese keyboard on and off for some time.

Like in November of 2005 when in Custom keyboard, custom language? I bemoaned the lack of ability to extend the language list in MSKLC 1.3, which blocked Madhava Temmakoon's efforts to properly label the keyboard.

Or in August of 2006 when in Creation of transliterating input methods I agreed with Thakara's conclusion that any regular keyboard such as those created by MSKLC is ultimately insufficient for languages like Sinhalese, at least in terms of usability. And this includes the input support in Vista and Server 2008, by the way.

There are experts in the government in Sri Lanka who agree with all of this -- the distance between

• (barely) internationally tolerable, and
• internationally sufficient, and
• internationally delightful

is rather vast, from a language/linguistic standpoint.

The fact that the latest versions of Windows are only at the first stage is a little embarrassing. :-(

But taking up this cause, I have two sets of data that can be plugged into the framework from the Table Driven Text Service discussed in that so far 11-part but still continuing series of blogs:

• 0 (You have to start somewhere)
• 1 (Starting with a dictionary simple in every way)
• 2 (Three ways to convert!)
• 3 (Where do keystrokes come in?)
• 4 (Specifying when to modify, if not how)
• 5 (All about the language, baby!)
• 6 (it is sufficient to be iconic, aka DaYi, DaYi Aynu!)
• 7 (Configuration 'junk in the trunk', part 1)
• 8 (Configuration 'junk in the trunk', part 2)
• 9 (Will you be content if I tell you how some content can be defined?)
• 10 ("Even Jove nods," Atlas shrugged, "so we'll convert their old files, now.")
• 11 (The knights who say நீ, redux, #1)

Now between the data that Thakara sent me, and another set from another source, and the Tamil one that I still need to post (which is also relevant to Sri Lanka), I have the data almost together for three layouts covering two languages used in Sri Lanka.

Starting tomorrow, I am going to jump back in to the Table Driven Text Service once again, will these three new ones to add to the list of samples and examples I have mentioned in prior blogs:

• We weren't Vista heroes, but I think we were kinda heroic
• Return of the Unicode IME
• Behind the return of the Unicode IME
• Creation of transliterating input methods
• The Cantonese IME (not for input of characters from Canton, Ohio)
• And we are the knights who say நீ (NII)

I am pretty excited about this. How about you? :-)

This blog brought to you by ඣ (U+0da3, aka SINHALA LETTER MAHAAPRAANA JAYANNA)

Fahim Farook on 22 Jun 2008 10:46 PM:

Michael S. Kaplan on 23 Jun 2008 12:44 AM:

Michael S. Kaplan on 23 Jun 2008 12:46 AM:

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