Re: Dead keys

From: Philippe Verdy (verdy_p@wanadoo.fr)
Date: Mon Sep 26 2005 - 16:53:53 CST

  • Next message: Philippe Verdy: "Re: ldml dtd location"

    From: "Chris Jacobs" <chris.jacobs@xs4all.nl>
    >I think the <compose> key should be _inside_ the combining sequence,
    >killing
    > the char before it.
    >
    > e <compose> ' -> é
    >
    > and also
    >
    > ' <compose> e -> é
    >
    > In other words: on mechanical typewriters the <backspace> does not erase
    > the
    > backspaced char.

    Nobody has ever used the BACKSPACE key to produce diacritics on native
    keyboards. Only Americans have done that by overloading the role of the
    ASCII keys on a defective keyboard.
    Note: I don't say that nobody has ever used the backspace *character*.
    But people that are already used with dead keys will not like such input
    mode: 3 keystrokes instead of 2...
    Your suggestion would also not work, how will you interpret the sequence:
        a <compose> ' <BACKSPACE> ^
    will it be a^ (two characters) or â (one composed character)?
    This gives lots of ambiguities...
    > If the <compose> just emulates this mechanical backspace then the amount
    > of
    > relearning needed is evidently minimal.
    If you want that emulation, then return to the old age of ASCII and its
    7-bit variants (and also you don't need you compose key, just use
    backspace)... These input modes, and their associated character encodings,
    have been deprecated since loooong....



    This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Mon Sep 26 2005 - 16:55:53 CST