[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: GDK/GTK 1.2 with hebrew support
Dov Grobgeld wrote:
>
> Yoni Elhanani wrote:
>
> > Last time when I contacted Dov about his work on hebrew GTK+ widgets,
> > he had told me that it's no use to do them now,
> > since in the next unstable branch of GTK+ (1.3) text widgets will be
> > completely rewritten with bidi support, so whatever patch you send now
> > will be ignored...
> >
> > doesn't it apply now too?
>
> That is indeed the case, but Idan already announced that he had written
> his stuff, and I was curious to see what approach he had taken. He
> just sent me his patch (thanks Idan!) and what he has done is to make
> the GdkDrawText routines do a BiDi translation on the string before
> it is painted by X11. Unfortunately this approach cannot work properly.
> The widgets not only draws strings through gdk_draw_text() but it
> also relies on that the information from gdk_char_width() matches
> the positions of the drawn characters. This assumption breaks down
> if the characters are swapped around. This makes essential things
> like cursor movement etc break down. Indeed there is no shortcut to
> having the text and entry widgets keep complete BiDi information
> (visual-to-logical mapping, both logical and visual strings, etc)
> internally.
>
Since 1.2 is complete for a long time,
i hope 1.3 will be out soon, and every advanture seeker would be able to
use the new hebrew widgets,
it's only a matter of patience.
> > but - if fribidi works good enough (i never tried it myself),
> > you should send it and let it be used with the new text/entry widgets.
> > also you should send it to the guy making a GPLed wordprocessor,
> > or other projects that are seeking hebrew support.
>
> I do believe that FriBidi is good enough, both in terms of functionality
> and speed, to be used in any free software project. But, as Eli
> Marmor has mentioned in the past, and as I have experinced in the
> writing of the protobidi text widget, a BiDi library is just a part
> in the complex interaction of a bidirectional text widget.
i do not understand.
fribidi transforms hebrew "visual" to "logical" and vice versa, right?
if you run it on every redraw iteration, what's wrong?
(is it cursor movement? mouse response to the right letter?)
> I totally agree about mozilla, and a mail agent etc. I wish I had time
> to working on it (or a sponsor taking care of the problem that I don't
> have time to work on it (hint: $$$)), but I don't.
You can do what Eli did.
You ask a sopnser for your localized version.
(ie the one with hebrew menus and xul files and everything)
they will be the default home-page and will pay money to get hebrew
netscape users.
(these are not only linux users, mind you, the bidi will be used by
winusers too)
you can get lots of money from israeli "portals" like walla.
contact them and ask if they want all the israeli netscape users to be
directed to them.
you know they'll agree.
(you get money, portal gets hits, we all get hebrew mozilla, we all
win!)
> That's part of the
> reason that I'm offering to give a lecture sometime about BiDi and
> Hebrew issues to get someone else started on this. Please let the list
> know if there is any interest for such a lecture.
I'd be interested in a lecture,
though i think a better idea is if you wrote a paper about it,
and explained selected parts of the fribidi/protobidi code.
I'm sure many people will benefit from it if they try to use bidi.
(both for hebrew and for arabic, if you lectured, arabs won't be able to
use your knowledge)
If I knew how to use bidi engines I would be happy to i12ize programs.
(on the same note, can you recommend me a C++ book? send me email in
private plz)
> Already now there is plenty that could be done. The reflected gtk
> widgets should be enough for patching a gtk-based mail agent (e.g.
> Balsa, and the author of Balsa is all for it) to support visual
> mode Hebrew email. Simple irc and icq support could easily be
> inserted as well. It is more or less a question of ripping out the
> standard gtk text and entry widgets and inserting the reflected ones
> instead. I don't have time to do this, but perhaps someone else does?
If (unlike the previous statement that you said it has many bugs and
problems) it will work good and allow me to communicate with
windows-using friends, i'd like it.
(just replace the entire gtk library with a hebrew one, as alex said).
for icq, i have a better idea.
we can make an entire hebrew gui for licq, since it supports modular
guis.
again, i'd do it, but i lack c++/bidi experience.
--
The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't suck,
is probably the day they start making vacuum cleaners...