Re: Linux i18n project coordination

From: Frank da Cruz (fdc@watsun.cc.columbia.edu)
Date: Sun Aug 15 1999 - 11:31:06 EDT


Roozbeh Pournader <roozbeh@sina.sharif.ac.ir> wrote:
> On Sun, 15 Aug 1999, Frank da Cruz wrote:
> > Higher model VT terminals -- I think beginning with VT320 -- supported
> > host-directed switching of screen-writing direction. I'm not aware of any
> > major applications that took advantage of this feature, but that doesn't
> > mean there aren't any.
>
> I have such physical terminals available. Do you know what are the control
> sequences for these? Can you give me any reference?
>
From the Kermit documentation:

Hebrew-specific escape sequences recognized by the VT220 and 320 terminal
emulators:

  ESC ) H Designates right half of Latin/Hebrew to G1
  ESC * H Designates right half of Latin/Hebrew to G2
  ESC + H Designates right half of Latin/Hebrew to G3
  ESC ( % = Designates 7-bit Hebrew NRC to G0-G3
  ESC ) " 4 Designates DEC supplement Hebrew letters to G1
  ESC * " 4 Designates DEC supplement Hebrew letters to G2
  ESC + " 4 Designates DEC supplement Hebrew letters to G3
  DCS 0 ! u " 4 ST Assigns DEC supplement Hebrew as UPSS
  DCS 0 ! u H ST Assigns Latin/Hebrew as UPSS
  CSI ? 34 h Sets right-to-left screen-writing mode
  CSI ? 34 l Sets left-to-right screen-writing mode
  CSI ? 35 h Sets Hebrew keyboard mapping
  CSI ? 35 l Sets Roman (North American) keyboard mapping
  CSI ? 36 h Hebrew encoding mode: 7-bit Hebrew-7 "National mode"
  CSI ? 36 l Hebrew encoding mode: 8-bit ISO Latin/Hebrew

For greater detail, see:

  ftp://kermit.columbia.edu/kermit/e/hebrew.txt

I don't know if any of these features are used by host-based Hebrew
applications such as Hebrew Vi, Pico, HEDT, or the more modern Mule. I'm
pretty sure that ALEPH operates only at Hebrew-VT102 level.

I am fairly certain that these features are found only on Hebrew-model VT
terminals; don't expect to find them on USA or European models. Similar
features might be found on Arabic models, if there are such things. This
sort of information was hard to come by in the best of times, and matters
have only deteriorated with DEC first selling off its terminal business
and then its very self.

- Frank



This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : Tue Jul 10 2001 - 17:20:51 EDT