Re: Input Method of Gnome

[NIIBE Yutaka <gniibe chroot org>]

Just my thinking for input method of GNOME.

According to my own experience with GNU Emacs and input method for it,
I think that it would be good to re-design input method structure for
Japanese, using CORBA.  With the current situation of GNOME desktop
environment, we could develop it in the "right" way, rather depending
on old developped design of X.

Input method for Japanese usually goes two steps.

Step 1: Roman translitaration sequence --->  Kana  (we call this translation)
	(Using something like automaton)
	Mapping is one to one.
	One roman sequence corresponds one Kana character most case.

Step 2: Kana sequence ---> Kanji sequence  (we call this conversion)
	Mapping is not one to one.  Some scheme to select the candidates
	are needed.
	Translating Kana to Kanji, it uses dictionary and some
	sort of natural language processing technique.

To offer consistent environment for desktop, all translation and
conversion should be done in one place, or it results inconsisitent,
if each application does it by itself.

It's like situation for sound output for application.  If each
application does it by itself on the host it runs, different speaker
would ring.  To solve the situation, we define one sound output for
desktop.  Likewise, we define one input method (in other word, one
translation/conversion engine) for desktop.

In the design of X, it uses its own way to define the input method and
the way to communicate with the engine.  IMHO, it's some kind of kluge.

Now having CORBA, why don't we use it for input method!

It would be applied to other language issues.  For example, spell
checker for desktop in English.  It should (or at least it would be
good to) have consistent spell check in desktop environment.  Mail
reader on a host, and editor on another host should share one spell
checker or dictionary for checker, for consistent processing.

Any opinions, suggestions?
-- 
Niibe Yutaka