Re: Hindi and Software

[Suresh Ramasubramanian <mallet@xxxxxxx>]

FREDERICK NORONHA rearranged electrons thusly:

> This is not linked to Linux, but to computers as such. Just to give an idea 
> of what is being done on the Windows front. It's from our 
> http://www.bytesforall.org site, on which there are other examples too. This 
> should be critical area if we are to expand the base for computing in South 
> Asia. -FN

See, there are two (or three) ways in which this operates.

1. Send mail in html with a special font (and include a url for that font /
attach the font the first time you mail somebody).  If you happen to use pine /
mutt / any other HTML non-compliant mail reader (a good policy) it won't work.

2. Generate a .gif with the tamil / whatever text and send it across.  A total
waste of bandwidth

3. What "webmail in regional language" sites do - write a java applet which
allows you to type in the local language and view the mails online (OR attempts
to download and start a java applet on your mailreader - a security hazard)

None of these is the way to go - at least for e-mail.

	-s

-- 
Suresh Ramasubramanian  <-->  mallet <at> efn <dot> org
EMail Sturmbannfuhrer, Lower Middle Class Unix Sysadmin