Maps for Arabic and other semitic based scripts

["Chahine M. Hamila" <mch at chaham dot com>]

Hi,
In case there would be any echo...

Akka is complete, and it's a matter of days before I release test 1.0 (I
have yet to test it on a PC for endian related issues, and understand
how fribidi outputs visual to logical maps, so in fact it's a matter of
a couple of hours of active work at most).
Among other features, enhanced console tools compatibility and filters
will allow users to set Akka for other languages or encodings.
So this is a call for anyone who would want to make his
language/favorite encoding based on Semitic scripts as part of the
release defaults, in particular to our Pakistani, Iranian, (Afghan?),
Turkish (Ottoman-writing) mates who would like to see their language
supported in console mode.
I haven't seen any Syriac or Phoenician console font around... It might
be fun as well to create some since all semitic based-scripts are
supported. fonter is a good program for editing console fonts. I also
didn't search for a LUG in the Maldive Islands, bur it could be
interesting to contact them since they now can use the text console as
well in their script;)
So if you are interested, please contact me, it's a matter of more or
less 1/2 hour non-technical work to add a new language/encoding, so IT
IS VERY EASY AND SHORT.
Note that bidi approximation mode is only supported for those encodings
that are supported by fribidi, other encodings will have to either
provide conversion functions from enc->UCS4 and vice versa, or do
without and use only RTL and LTR monodirectional modes.

Salaam,
Chahine