Preparing a Computer running Linux / Gnome for Tibetan Editing
From Digital Tibetan
Contents |
Installing fonts
Linux users can use all fonts that work on Windows PCs. For installation simply create a new folder 'Tibetan' at /usr/share/fonts.
Copy all Tibetan fonts into the folder /usr/share/fonts/Tibetan.
Open a console and make sure that read permissions are given for all users for the Tibetan folder and it's content, e.g.:
chmod -R a+rx /usr/share/fonts/Tibetan
Refresh the font cache with
fc-cache -f
Restart applications that use fonts (e.g. OpenOffice).
Sources for fonts
- many Debian based systems contain a package
ttf-tmuniwhich contains Tibetan Machine Uni. (However this is a rather old version of this fonts) - Get the latest Jomolhari font by Chris Fynn.
- Get the latest version of Tibetan Machine Uni at THDL Virginia University
- See Tibetan Fonts for a list of Unicode Tibetan fonts.
Installing a Tibetan input method for gnome
For gnome you need the packages uim, uim-m17nlib, uim-applet-gnome.
This installs a Wylie input method (as part of uim-m17nlib) and a keyboard switcher that can be added to the gnome panel:
- Right-click the gnome-panel, select "Add to Panel..." and add the "Input Method Indicator (uim)".
- Within the configuration of UIM, enable the input method
"m17n-bo-wylie"or the newerm17n-bo-ewts, . - Now open gnome text editor (gedit), select a Tibetan font, e.g. Tibetan Machine Uni and activate the input method
"m17n-bo-wylie". - You should now be able to type Tibetan.
Advanced customization
It is possible to exchange or change the way the input method "m17n-bo-wylie" works: Simply edit (as root, make a backup first!)
/usr/share/m17n/bo-wylie.mim
to add or modify the translation from wylie into Unicode Tibetan. This file serves as documentation of the input method and is also a good way to understand how the input method translates Wylie into Tibetan Unicode.
