[കേ.ശാ.സാ.പ] Re: [കേ.ശാ.സാ.à´ª] Re: [à ´•Ã µ‡.à ´¶Ã ´¾.à ´¸Ã ´¾.à ´ª] Re: 134 yoga ‘devices’ get US patent s?=

Regi P George said on Mon, Jun 11, 2007 at 05:11:05PM -0700,:

> I understand all you said but my comparison to typewriter with
> computer was only about the Keyboards. I know some softwares
> indian fonts work similar to malayalam typewriter keyboards which
> are dtp centers using for malayalam typesetting but the unicode
> fonts are based on 26 alphabets of english. Unicode fonts with Free
> softwares suppose to be the next generation common man's way of
> using malayalam on computer isn't it?

Not only the common man's way, but also the corporate big gun's way of
communication.

There is no relationship between the keyboard layout (merely a input
method) and encoding the script (LANGUAGES are NOT encoded), and the
language itself.

Encoding is a standard for representing the script and its several
glyphs. (for example, the ``nda'' in ``chenda'' is a single glyph, but
is represented by three code points. The user is NOT concerned with
the number of code points involved in representing a given glyph.

The operating system (or several components of it) translates a
keycode (the code sent by the keyboard) into the unicode code point,
and the rendering engine translates the sequences into glyphs.
 
> In my humplest opinion either we have to see this as a threat to
> the existing malayalam and its alphabetical order. or this is a
> radical change in re-organising malayalam alphabets.

I am afraid you have misunderstood how a computer (or rather, unicode)
functions.

I repeat:-

1. Glyphs have no relationship with unicode code points.
2. Unicode encodes scripts and NOT languages.
3. Unicode code points form the fundamental building blocks for a
   script. The user (the person operating the keyboard or a person
   reading from the computer screen / print out) need NOT know
   the unicode codepoints for a given character.
4. keyboard layout has no relationship with glyphs of a languages and
   unicode encoding. Several key strokes can form a single glyph, or a
   single keystroke can form several glyphs.
5. A unicode code point does NOT have nave anything to do with a
   ``character'' in the linguistic sense.
6. It is the job of the rendering engine to read the keycode,
   transform it into unicode code points, and represent it in the
   required glyphs.
7. A glyph does not require a unicode code point, and is different
   from a character. A ``glyph'' is the equivalent (but not identical
   to) of a ``kootaksharam'' in malayalam.
8. When same characters or combination of characters need different
   visual representation, a different encoding sequence is required.

If you do not understand everything above, please leave this issue to
experts at Unicode.

They are working on getting the problems and ambiguities in Malayalam
script ironed out, and the target solution is to give the user (the
person reading something on a computer) the power to choose whether he
wants to see something in old or reformed script.

> Same time I think we need to creat an environment forcing the
> Microsoft to introduce all its products in Malayalam. Microsoft
> Arabic can be a best example. They even have a Arabic-English
> enabled Windows. So one person can use the english version and on
> same computer others can do it in arabic.

And how is the question of whether a given language is supported by a
monopolistic corporation relevant to this list? If they do not support
our language, we can use free software.

Just in case you do not understand the difference between a script and
language just consider this - the devanagari script is used by several
languages - Sanskrit, Konkani, Marathi etc, in addition to Hindi
itself. Konkani and Tulu speaking population in Kerala use the
malayalam script to write their own languages. So, please do not
confuse between Malayalam the language, and the script in which the
Malayalam language is written, which is also called ``Malayalam''.

You can use the 26 characters on a normal keyboard to translate into
60 or 70 unicode code points. It is the job of the rendering engine on
an operating system to create the 900+ glyphs in traditional
Malayalam, or around the 250 glyphs in ``reformed'' Malayalam. As I
said before, it is choice of the person reading to choose whether he
is viewing something in traditional or reformed script. (of course,
the person creating the thing to be read does have some control over
whether his creation will be read in old or new script - but this is
necessary only when orthographicsl accuracy is required).

-- 
 Mahesh T. Pai <<>> http://paivakil.blogspot.com/
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