Indic input methods for the X Window System

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The Indic-Computing Project > Subprojects > Other Infrastructural Subprojects > Indic input methods for the X Window System

Indic input methods for the X Window System

While the X Window System architecture supports sophisticated input methods being implemented separately from the applications connecting to the X server, few (if any) implementations of Indian language input methods for the X window system exist today. This subproject attempts to fill this gap.

Executive Summary

Status	Source Tree	Download	Developers
Not owned	Not available	Unreleased

Rationale

Given that there are few (if any!) commonly agreed upon editing methods for indian language input, most applications like Yudit and application frameworks like KDE and GNOME have ended up implementing their own input an editing methods for indian languages. While this is clearly duplicated effort on the part of the developers, indian language users also suffer on account of the reduced flexibility of the system as a whole, and because of the small differences in the user interface that inevitably creep in disrupting the final user experience.

By creating sufficiently flexible and sophisticated X input methods for Indian language input, we can solve these problems in an architecturally correct way.

Background Information

Information about creating X input methods seems a little sparse on the Internet. Indian language keyboard layouts have been documented in a few places, for example under the IndLinux site. Popular editing algorithms for Indian language text are currently not documented, but hopefully should be soon examined in the Indic-Computing Handbook.

Sources of information in writing X input methods include:

"The X Window System, Core and Extension Protocols" by Robert W. Scheifler and James Gettys. Digital Press, ISBN 1-55558-148-X.
The Axis project on SourceForge.
The Smart Common Input Method platform.
The Internet/Intranet Input Method Framework from OpenI18N.
The Mozilla project documentation on input methods.
X Window System Documentation on X Input Methods.
The X Library C interface specification (Chapter 13, Locales and Internationalized Text Functions).

Skill Set Required

Familiarity with X window system internals. Expertise in C programming. Extensive knowledge of more than one indian languages or scripts.

Other Resource Requirements

It may be convenient to have a test box on which the X input method under development can be run, independent of the rest of development environment.

Time Estimate

3--6 months to develop the framework for the input method.

Status

No owner yet. Please join up.

Comments

This is a good final year systems project for a bright candidate.

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