Convivial Perso-Arabic Script with Debian GNU/Linux
Part of ByStar User Environment
Document # PLPC-180003
January 7, 2011
Article and Presentation Available on-line at:
http://mohsen.1.banan.byname.net/PLPC/180003
Mohsen BANAN
E-mail: http://mohsen.1.banan.byname.net/ContactMe
Copyright © 2011 Mohsen BANAN
Permission is granted to make and distribute complete (not partial)
verbatim copies of this document provided that the copyright notice
and this permission notice are preserved on all copies.
Contents
1 First, Let’s Parse the Title
1.1 Convivial Perso-Arabic Script with Debian GNU/Linux
1.2 Part of ByStar User Environment
2 Scope And Purpose
2.1 Goal and Direction
2.2 Non Goals
3 Model
4 Philosophical and Moral Dimensions
4.1 Our Approach: The Convivial Quadrant
4.2 Libre/Propitary and Convivial/Industrial Software
4.3 Libre/Propitary and Convivial/Industrial Internet Services
4.4 Libre/Propitary and Convivial/Industrial Software-Service Continuum
5 Distribution and Support
II Platform
6 Debian Gnu Linux
6.1 Debian Squeeze (6.0) and Ubuntu 11.04
III ByStar Emacs Perso-Arabic User Environment
7 What Is Emacs?
7.1 Emacs24 and bidi
8 What Is ByStar?
8.1 ByStar User Environment
9 Perso-Arabic Emacs User Environment
9.1 Extra Fonts for Emacs
9.2 Emacs Input Methods
9.3 Persian Transliteration
9.4 Multilingualization (M17n) of Spelling Dictionaries
9.5 M17n of Thesaruses
9.6 M17n of Dictionaries
9.7 Bidi and Emacs Packages Problems
IV Desktop Publishing
10 Persian/Farsi XeLaTeX
10.1 XePersian
11 Html Generation
11.1 tex4ht
V ByStar Autonomous Self-Publication
12 ByStar Libre Content Publication Facilities
12.1 lcntProc.sh
VI Federated RePublication
13 Federated Syndication
13.1 ByTopic.org
VII Some Examples
14 Persian
14.1 Persian and English
14.2 Persian and English
14.3 Arabic with some English in it
VIII Direction Statement and ToDO List
15 TODO List
15.1 Collaboration and Possible Next Steps
15.2 ToDo List
List of Figures
2 libreConvivialQuadrant
3 convivialServicesQuadrant
4 convivialSoftwareServicesQuadrant
Part I
Introduction
1 First, Let’s Parse the Title
1.1 Convivial Perso-Arabic Script with Debian GNU/Linux
-
Convivial:
Not
in
the
American/English
sense
of
the
word.
In its Globish sense as introduced by Ivan Illich in “Tools For Conviviality”.
Expressing the correct relationship between “Tool User”, “Tool” and “Tool Maker”.
In this context, in Geek lingo: emacs and TeX.
- Perso-Arabic Script: Text processing in:
- The Persian family of languages: (Farsi, Dari, Urdu, Pashto/Afghanic, Sindhi, Kashmiri, Uighuric)
- The Arabic family of languages: (Arabic, Maghribi, Jawi/Old-Malay)
- Debian GNU/Linux: A paricular rev./generation (Squeeze/6.0) providing a stable and consistent libre platform.
1.2 Part of ByStar User Environment
- What is the ByStar Federation of Autonomous Libre Services?
- What is the ByStar User Environment?
2 Scope And Purpose
2.1 Goal and Direction
- To create a healthy, strong and complete environment for producing documents in Arabic/Persian script
- Totally open and CopyLeft
- An asset for humanity
- In harmony with Debian GNU/Linux
- Multi-Lingual Editing Capabilities – Persian/Farsi, Arabic, Chinese, Hendi, Latin
- Given Debian and a local repository (persian.bybinary.org), provide everything.
- A pedagogical tool for language learning
2.2 Non Goals
- Ease of Use
- Purity of Persian or Arabic input system
3 Model
- Platform (Debian)
- User Environment (Emacs24 with bidi, ByStar EOE)
- Desktop Publishing (XeLaTeX, XePersian, tex4ht)
- Autonomous Self Publication Facilities (ByStar)
- Federated Syndication – Re-Publishing
Figure ?? shows these as layers.
4 Philosophical and Moral Dimensions
4.1 Our Approach: The Convivial Quadrant
- Microsoft Word, ... – Proprietary and Industrial.
- Open Office Writer, ... – Libre but Industrial.
- Emacs and XeTeX – Convivial.
4.2 Libre/Propitary and Convivial/Industrial Software
Figure ?? shows ...
4.3 Libre/Propitary and Convivial/Industrial Internet Services
Figure ?? shows ...
4.4 Libre/Propitary and Convivial/Industrial Software-Service Continuum
Figure ?? shows ...
5 Distribution and Support
- Part of ByStar User Environment. Recommended.
- A La Carte. Here is the information. You are on your own.
Part II
Platform
6 Debian Gnu Linux
6.1 Debian Squeeze (6.0) and Ubuntu 11.04
- Debian Squeeze (6.0)
- Ubuntu 11.04
Nothing less will do beacuse bidi was missing in emacs and XePersian was not quite ready until 2010.
- ByStar User Environment
Part III
ByStar Emacs Perso-Arabic User Environment
7 What Is Emacs?
7.1 Emacs24 and bidi
- emacs-snapshot is not part of Squeeze, get it from ...
- Persian fonts
- Persian input methods
- Arabic input methods
- Persian spell checkers
8 What Is ByStar?
8.1 ByStar User Environment
- Point to relevant docs.
9 Perso-Arabic Emacs User Environment
9.1 Extra Fonts for Emacs
- Persian: XB Zar, ...
- Arabic: Lateef, ...
9.2 Emacs Input Methods
- Native Keybaords: Arabic M-: (set-input-method ’arabic) (set-input-method ’farsi)
- Transliteration: Persian M-: (set-input-method ’farsi-translit)
- Predictive Phonetic Input (PPI): e.g., pinglish
9.3 Persian Transliteration
Generated with M-: (describe-input-method ’farsi-translit)
+------------------------------------------------------------+
| ! | @ | # | | | | & | | ( | ) | - | =+ | ‘|
+------------------------------------------------------------+
| | W || R | ł | Y | U | ŁI |O | P | [{ | ]} |
+------------------------------------------------------------+
| | | D | F | G | h | J | K | L | : | '" | \| |
+-----------------------------------------------------------+
| | | C | V | B | N | M | < | .> | / |
+-------------------------------------------------+
+-----------------------------+
| space bar |
+-----------------------------+
--- ---- --- ---- --- ---- --- ---- --- ----
ch hh kh sh zh
9.4 Multilingualization (M17n) of Spelling Dictionaries
ispell/aspect used with multiple dictionaries.
- Persian/Farsi aspell dictionaries
- Arabic aspell dictionaries
9.5 M17n of Thesaruses
dict protocol used with multiple thesaruses.
- Persian/Farsi thesaruses
- Arabic thesaruses
9.6 M17n of Dictionaries
dict protocol used with multiple dictionaries.
- Persian/Farsi dictionaries
- Arabic dictionaries
- eng-arabic + arabic-eng
- eng-farsi + farsi-eng
9.7 Bidi and Emacs Packages Problems
- Gnus – Bugs: Summary buffer messed up
- Supercite:
- When bidi is on, arithmetic segments should remain left to right.
- m17n library: lengthened characters at the end of a word.
Part IV
Desktop Publishing
10 Persian/Farsi XeLaTeX
10.1 XePersian
- XB Zar Fonts
11 Html Generation
11.1 tex4ht
- htxelatex is missing. Needs work.
Part V
ByStar Autonomous Self-Publication
12 ByStar Libre Content Publication Facilities
12.1 lcntProc.sh
- Point to relevant PLPC.
Part VI
Federated RePublication
13 Federated Syndication
13.1 ByTopic.org
- ByTopic.org.
Part VII
Some Examples
14 Persian
14.1 Persian and English
- Gharbzadegi
- This articleFa.tex and presentationFa.tex
14.2 Persian and English
- This articleEn.tex and presentationEn.tex
14.3 Arabic with some English in it
- TBD
Part VIII
Direction Statement and ToDO List
15 TODO List
15.1 Collaboration and Possible Next Steps
- Get a ByName.net acct
- Install Debian Squeeze on your computer
- Install ByStar User Environment with matching ByName.net on your computer.
- Use the ByStar Perso-Arabic Script
- Report Bugs and suggest improvements
- Assist in completing this manual – particularly the Arabic parts
15.2 ToDo List
- XeLaTeX for tex4ht
- Persian Dictionaries – None found at this time
- Persian Thesaurus – None found at this time
- Pinglish for emacs
- eng-persian dictionary
- persian-eng dictionary