Re: Does our xim process need an update?

On Sun, 12 Jul 2015 17:35:22 +0200,
Fuminobu TAKEYAMA wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> As you say, there are many issues and challenges with the way to start IMs.
> 
> For example:
> - User-friendly IMs and IM frameworks selection
> - GNOME3 support
> - Kimpanel support
> - OOO_FORCE_DESKTOP
> - default settings of frameworks (such as Fcitx and IBus) depending on locale
>    (Fcitx provides too many features for Chinese, which might be annoying for Japanese)
> - User-level IM settings v.s. system-wide IM settings
> - D-Bus server requirements
> - choosing input method frameworks after new one is installed
> 
> With similar motivation, I am trying to implement a prototype of a new script:
> https://github.com/ftake/chameleon-tongue/

This looks interesting.  So this basically inherits the way to select
the default IM framework per locale priority list, while the setup is
split to several files.  Using a symlink for pointing the use and
system preference is a good idea.

Below are some concerns and suggestions that came to my mind after a
quick glance of the github repo:

- Migration from old /etc/X11/xim setup;
  we need to keep the setup as much as possible.  How can it be done
  gracefully?

- Let's add a description file to each profile directory, e.g. create
  a file /usr/lib/input-method/profile.d/XXX/description, so that a
  program that selects IM can show the content of each entry more
  nicely.

- Is the start of daemon solely done by the desktop file?
  What if a bare DE that doesn't start desktop files?

- The ugly g-s-d workaround: can we implement this in a bit smarter
  way once when we redesign the framework?

- It would be safer if we can avoid python for select-im...
  Otherwise python becomes mandatory for the whole system even for a
  minimal setup.


thanks,

Takashi

> 
> Let's discuss and improve input methods.
> 
> Fuminobu Takeyama
> 
> On 2015/07/10 22:29, Qiang Zhao wrote:
> > M17N team members:
> > hi!
> > I'm handling with ibus debug works on SLED(S)now,  and  I'm new to SUSE M17N strategy,
> > but I have this question as subject.
> > *Current situation:*
> > Our IM server start like this:
> > 1) System boot, Then xinit launch /etc/X11/xim to start an IM server.
> > 2) Get /etc/sysconfig/language IM server selection. This changes the default for all users.
> > 3) If user define "INPUT_METHOD" in ~/.profile, then select IM server by it, and ignore step2's
> > setting for current user;
> > 4) Regardless the result step2 and step3, xim will start IM server by current user's language.
> > This xim script is written in 10 years ago, something have changed in these days.
> >
> > *For step3, *
> > It's better to move customer definition to a special file, like ~/.inputmethod or
> > ~/.config/.inputmethod.
> > Because it's hard for a program to change, especially when customer have written complex code flow
> > in ~/.profile .
> > Reference to: Bug 899259 - SLES12-RC3 ibus-setup pop up not working in Chinese, Korean, and Russian
> > Mr Takashi Iwai point out this very clearly.
> >
> > *For step4:*
> > I think it's unnecessary in future.
> > Resons:
> > 1, IM Server & IM Engine are different.
> >     A certain kind of IM server, like ibus, fcitx, scim, can supporting many kind of IM Engines.
> >     With these engine, people input in different language in the same server.
> >     Select IM Server by LANG is meaningless.
> >
> > 2, Default IM server is supposed to put in "/etc/sysconfig/language". it is defined during system
> > installation.
> >     User custom IM server is supposed written in "~/.inputmethod" or "~/.config/.inputmethod."
> >     No need to be judged every time system start.
> >
> > 4, We will have only 1 IM server installed in future.
> >     Reference to: Fate 319095: deprecate fcitx  chinese input method in favor of ibus.
> >     If customer installed another IM server after installation, then they can active one in custom file.
> >
> > 5, In early times, We have a dead key bug
> >     Bug 702064 - Dead keys don't work - https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=702064
> >     It's already have fixed patch and don't have reproduced yet, and I have test ibus with many
> > language,
> >     So it won't influence.
> >
> > In that way, we don't need to select an IM server for customer by LANG env.
> >
> > *For IM engines:*
> > 1, Users are supposed to select their IM Engine in "All Settings"->"Region & Language".
> >     Then System record his selection, active this selection at next time he login gnome.
> > 2, Then how to define user input method for the first time login?
> >     I think the answer is "gnome-initial-setup".
> >     And there are also some other desktop and service settings need to be collect before customer
> > first login,
> >     these settings are hard to guess, Some distribution already have use it, and it's the GNOME
> > suggest method.
> > 3, What I want to say is,  gnome-initial-setup, Region_Language, ~/.inputmethod, and
> > /etc/sysconfig/language
> >     can serve any people with any input scenario they want.
> >
> > Qiang Zhao
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