COLE,GLENN (Non-HP-SantaClara,ex2) <[log in to unmask]> writes:

> Jim Phillips writes:
>
> > (The following information was scanned from the pages of the
> > AICS Research laboratory notebook)
> [big snip]
> > The AICS solution is have the end-user type the standard character
> > (such as the letter "o") and then press a function key that modifies
> > the standard letter in a known, circular pattern (in our example,
> > the letter "o" would cycle through o-umlaut, o-grave, o-accent, o-tilde,
> > etc. finally coming back to the standard letter "o").
>
> Ugh.  Workable, but hardly "typist-friendly."
>
> > An option was discussed that would allow the
> > end-user to select a language preference in the terminal options
> > (unrelated to the keyoard language selection), that would control
> > which "enhanced" character appears first.
>
> I'm not convinced this would help.
>
> > The DS (Demon Spawn) solution was reviewed and found sadly lacking.  In
> > order to type a foreign language character, the end-user is required to
> > navigate some pull-down menus, select a font set that has the character
> > needed, and select the character by either double-clicking it or
> > cut-and-pasting it to the application.
>
> I don't know which DS app was tried, but chances are it wasn't
> DS Word 97.
>

Actually, it was Word (not sure of which version, probably 97) and Notepad.
And I've used Word to type diacriticals, especially the n-tilde for Spanish
folks, and each time I have to type it I end up going to help to find out
how to do it.  I think it is control-shift-tilde-n, which is hardly
typist-friendly either.

The way the language preference would help is in less keystrokes to get to
the character you want, that character which by-the-way is not in your
current keyboard language selection.

> > The test subject affirmed the AICS belief that easier is better.
> > The AICS algorithm for entering diacriticals was clearly superior,
> > in both utility and ease-of-use.
>
> For the intended use of diacriticals in the AICS app, this may well
> be true.  But for more than extremely-casual use, it would be a pain
> (IMHO, of course).

And of course, this is my opinion also, but that's exactly what Wirt intends
(I think):  the casual use of diacriticals.  If you want to type a message
in German, you would be better to switch to the German keyboard layout and
have at it.


Jim Phillips                             Information Systems Manager
Voice: 915-860-9933             Therm-O-Link, Inc.
Fax: 915-860-9936                 1295 Henry Brennan
Email:                                       El Paso, TX   79936
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Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of my employer, my friends, my
relatives, or anybody else for that matter, including me.