RE: not to use Compose files (was: RE: Mode_switch woes)

> For me, the compose mechanism is very useful even apart from its use
for
> normal accented characters. For example, the copyright symbol isn't in
> a standard position on a Greek keyboard, yet I can easily get one by
> Compose o c. The same for the euro sign (Compose e =), "ae" (Compose a
e)
> or slashed "o" (Compose o /). If there was a way to define private
> sequences, without editing files in /etc/X11, it would be even more
> useful.

Such a mechanism is not available on other systems (non-Unixy systems;
in particular Windows and Mac), other than via the more general IMEs.
And
keyboard input, for a particular language or group of languages, should
be
the same as much as possible (from the user's point of view) for "all"
systems.

> Although, since compose sequences don't work very well 
> together with more
> complex input methods, maybe Compose files could be retired, and usage
> such as the one I like implemented entirely with the complex input
> method. Is that what you have in mind?

I agree. And keyboard layout selection should be tied together with
IME selection. E.g. choosing a Japanese keyboard should also select
a Japanse IME (or the other way around, not sure which is best; they
should not be selected separately though, since they will be designed
for eachother). Being able to easily extend the IME capability to new
"words" (or similar) would probably be useful. E.g. turning SUM into
the summation symbol might not be a standard part of an IME, 
but if you often write math formulas (with the summation symbol),
you may want that from the keyboard+IME. 

		/Kent Karlsson
> -- 
> Alexandros Diamantidis * [email protected]
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