Re: Request for comments on Square Arabic

[Mohammed Elzubeir <elzubeir at fakkir dot net>]

On Wed, Jan 30, 2002 at 01:17:03PM -0800, Nadim Shaikli wrote:
> 
> 
> I have no issue with "square Arabic" (esp. as an option or half-way
> solution), but I don't see it as a end-all solution to even the most
> mundane/low-level problems either (eg, xterm) due to the entrenched
> need for shaped characters by most Arab-speakers.
> 

The maintenance of 'backward-compatibility' (which is what I would consider
shaping to be in the case of a terminal for example) is certainly
very important. 

The re-introduction of Squared Arabic of Unified Arabic fonts however
does not mean the option of shaping is going to all of a sudden
disappear. It will be there. Adding shaping is obviously a lot more
trivial than, say, bidirectionality. 

To put things in perspective, one can consider shaping in a terminal
to be the equivalent of using a 'cursive' font for English on
xterm.. it just doesn't look right ;) But, considering that this is
an idea that has been introduced in the past, and did not catch-on
, due to several reasons (too long to list), it would be a mistake
not to allow the user to have the option of both.

Options ;) That's what it's all about. Introducing a more sensible
way of using Arabic on applications that should not normally have
shaping is just as important as providing the user with the option
to have shaping enabled.

later
-- 
-------------------------------------------------------
| Mohammed Elzubeir    | Visit us at:                 |
|                      |  http://www.arabeyes.org/    |
| Arabeyes Project     | Homepage:                    |
| Unix the 'right' way |  http://fakkir.net/~elzubeir/|
-------------------------------------------------------