Special slice of Japanese delight
Yet another critical failure of Windows NTFS filesystem: " Oh, is it that time of year again...?"
Loss of several gigs of personal work and files, including a Bachelor's thesis: "No biggie, they've served their purpose already."
Loss of installed software: "Just entertainment freeware. Reinstalling is a drag, though."
Sudden inability to write Japanese with computer: "Oh GOD no no NO! This can't be HAPPENING!! TAKE ME INSTEAD, puhhLEEZE!!!"
Recently yet another glorious feature of Microsoft product has guided me towards Linux and it's Japanese input methods. I have known of their existence for ages, but to be frank, MS-IME has had no competition. To be able to write Japanese regardless of application, with a platform wide installation that can actually detect grammar forms and alert (unintentionally, though) of typos, with a clear and simple installation process, that can almost make using Windows worth while.
As my Windows machine is having it's features reconfigured at the authorized repair shop, I have been augmenting my Linux server with Japanese input software. One encounters Canna and Anthy input servers most frequently. All the Linux distributions have their own tools for package installation, so that didn't present any challenge. Also, the documentation for the installation and starting of the said servers are quite thorough, distro wide.
However, Linux needs more. Depending on the distro and setup, Linux might need up to a dozen library files and fonts (all independently installed, of course) and manual reconfiguring of several system files. The list of the needed files for a particular distro is, naturally, not in existence. Nor reconfiguration guides except for vague hints. Nor, and I kind of stress this, manual to eventually activate the typing of Japanese. Except on web pages written in Japanese. Of course.
Naturally, hardships in this world are meant to be conquered. As I finally did manage (or at least thought so) to install the system and find out how it worked, another surprise! Naturally as I write in Japanese, words and verbs are conjugated by grammar. So far the system I'm using (and I'm sorry, but I don't know which eventually started to work on my system) does not recognize grammatical forms. Nice!!
And, as it turns out, I cannot write to applications I use, such as a net browser or mail application. Only to an editor. Then I save it, open the file to a net browser from where I can cut'nPaste it forward. At this point it's always a pleasure to notice a typo.
I'll say this only once, and if quoted will deny everything, but... I miss Windows. There, said. I hope my children will eventually forgive me my perverse and foul mouth. Perhaps... if I make them install Japanese capable Linux... No, I can never be that cruel.
I understand how you feel – but perhaps here we get another chance to praise MacOSX\’s solid, built in support for Japanese (even the Ainu characters are there!). One can enable and disable the build in languagea tools easily and the similar quick keys exists as in Japanese IME in Windoze.
And – those who have multilanguage guests in their house sometimes – they would be delighted for the ability to CHANGE THE LANGUAGE OF ENTIRE OPERATING SYSTEM, with a click of a mouse. One could set up a user account forexample for Japanese guests. When they open the account they will be delivered to beautiful – all in Japanese desktop, where every progam has perfect Japanese menus.
Can any other operating system do that?
ヤーッコ (Email) (URL) - 27 09 06 - 13:55
My Debian can, and so did my previous Redhat (ancestor of Fedora). Well, not with a click of a button, regional changes and system language change requires a log off-on.
There is also the \”Language for non-Unicode programs\” switch in WinDuH, but it messes with keymaps and doesn\’t change the OS language, just displays system messages and menus correctly from Japanese software.
acjama - 28 09 06 - 22:10