On Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:20:53 +0100 Helge Hafting <helge.haft...@hist.no> said:
> Carsten Haitzler (The Rasterman) wrote: > > On Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:57:41 +0100 Helge Hafting <helge.haft...@hist.no> > > said: > > > >> Carsten Haitzler (The Rasterman) wrote: > >> > >>>> Surely, when there is a kayboard anyway, a couple of extra keys won't > >>>> cost much. Not if they are on all phones, instead of only "adapted" > >>>> ones. The americans can use the extras as application hotkeys. > >>> oh its not the extra keys - its the variations in production. > >> I know. Which is why I suggest one single keyboard for all, with > >> the maximum amount of keys instead of the minimum. That way, every > >> language (at least every latin-based language) can have a normal keyboard. > >> > >> No problem for the english - it will work fine. Their extra keys can be > >> blank, or used as hotkeys. Users with other languages can add whatever > >> they need - and in the correct location too. > > > > that's not practical. have you SEEN all the accented characters available? > > its moe than going to double the # of chars in a kbd. otherwise you then > > need a compose mode where multiple keystrokes gives you æ or ø or ü or ñ > > etc. and its a combo you need to learn. you still need to offer all the > > accents then on such a kbd. like ~^'`",* (ãâáàäąå) which drastically will > > cramp the keyboard or make it yet another row bigger for everyone. (in > > addition to some form of compose key and specific compose logic). > > Have you seen the various european layouts? None of the lating-based > keyboards have more than a handful of keys more than the english > keyboard. (Those with bucketloads of accents use a dead-key approach, > press " then o to get ö and so on.) > > So no need for a seriously cramped keyboard. Of course different > languages will mostly re-use the same keys, so you don't need a key for > every possible letter. Only one key for each nonascii people expect to > find on a keyboard adapted to their language. Look at the various > keyboard layouts, pick the one with the most extras and you know how > many keys are needed. Perhaps a few more keys than that, as some add > extra keys in different places. But not many more. European pc keyboards > tend to have 2 keys more than american, the rest is done by shift states > and /or dead keys. (Things like []/? aren't directly accessible on a > Norwegian keyboard, unlike american keyboards. One mechanical layout > works for all of europe, you just have different keycaps. And of course > the american layout works too - they get two do-nothing keys thats all. thats because they use composition. as i said above. and as i said if 1 keyboard were to cover ALL of them it'd be BIG (in key count). as such each european kbd covers just the language it intends to cover - thus limiting extras. > So, a keyboard with slightly more keys than what is needed for ascii > will be enough for all languages that extend the latin alphabet. > > Some differently painted keytops will be needed, but that can be left to > the various national importers (for a mass-produced device) or to the > customers for a phone made in small series. > > Helge Hafting > > > -- ------------- Codito, ergo sum - "I code, therefore I am" -------------- The Rasterman (Carsten Haitzler) ras...@rasterman.com _______________________________________________ Openmoko community mailing list community@lists.openmoko.org http://lists.openmoko.org/mailman/listinfo/community