Can SCIM-m17n (a linux application) be installed for typing foreignlanguage

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Level 1

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Can SCIM-m17n (a linux application) be installed for typing foreignlanguage

I have long been a Linux (Ubuntu) user, and do a lot of typing in Hindi using the application SCIM-m17n. (SCIM = Smart Common Input Method). I love the MBP 17", and so bought one for setup up as a dual boot with OSX/Ubuntu, and doing my Hindi typing in Ubuntu. And that all I have done-- but I find that the MBP runs hot in Ubuntu, and so would like to shift this work over to OSX. Being that Ubuntu and OSX are both based on unix/linux, I was hoping it should not be too difficult to get SCIM-m17n installed in OSX 10.5.8 so I can do my Hindi work in OSX instead. Can someone help me/guide me with getting this set up? Thanks!

note: the SCIM application is downloadable as a tar.gz file from the site http://www.scim-im.org/downloads/scim_download

m17n is an Input Method Engine (IME) that works with SCIM. Here is their site: http://www.m17n.org/index.html

MBP 5,2, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Aug 18, 2009 6:41 AM

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Answer 1

Swarup1 Author

Level 1

1 points

Aug 18, 2009 7:25 AM in response to Swarup1

Based on SCIM's own intro on their homepage, it sounds like it should be able to be installed and run in OSX easily:

"Welcome to the Smart Common Input Method (SCIM) platform project, which provides not only a user friendly, full featured input method user interface for POSIX-style operating systems (including Linux, FreeBSD and other Unix), but also a development platform to make input method development easier."

The question is, how to install it? Being a "tar.gz" download, will OSX know what to do with it and how to install it? Or, will the application actually need to be compiled? I hope not 🙂, as I'm not any expert in such things.

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Answer 2

varjak paw

Level 10

182,668 points

Aug 18, 2009 7:48 AM in response to Swarup1

Being a "tar.gz" download, will OSX know what to do with it and how to install it?

No. When you download that file, all you get are the programming source files. You do not get any sort of precreated application or installation files.

Or, will the application actually need to be compiled?

Yes, it would have to be compiled.

While I'm not expert, I've taken a quick look at the documentation for SCIM and this is, at least based on my cursory look, by no means something that an average user can install and work with. It appears to be more of a developer's toolkit from which one can build support for alternate languages, or at least for very experienced users, and doesn't result in an actual usable input method without a "front end" such as SKIM (which is for the KDE GUI). I could be missing things, though, but it's certainly not straightforward as, for instance, just installing a Mac OS X application or driver.

There are resources in Mac OS X for using Hindi, and people here who are well versed in using other languages, so if you have specific issues involved in using Hindi or just need help getting started, you might want to start a new topic asking for help in using Hindi and someone can probably provide some pointers. That might be more time-effective than trying to get SCIM working in Mac OS X.

Regards.

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Answer 3

Swarup1 Author

Level 1

1 points

Aug 18, 2009 8:15 AM in response to varjak paw

I'm not sure whether it actually needs a separate front end or not. When I work in Ubuntu, for example, well SCIM comes with a standard Ubuntu install. But when you open SCIM, it doesn't say that it is using any front end other than SCIM itself.

Anyhow, the reason I am so interested in using SCIM-m17n, is that for typing Hindi there are an array of different keymaps. OSX comes with two, and neither one is the one I--or many others for that matter--are used to. There is a windows freeware program called Baraha which is really great and the preferred typing program for probably most Indians. An equivalent for it has been made in SCIM-m17n.

So the two options for using the Baraha-style keymap in OSX are to use the Windows Baraha via WINE in OSX, or use the linux version with SCIM-m17n. I have installed Wine and installed Baraha via Wine, but it doesn't work. So the only option I have left is to get SCIM-m17n running in OSX.

note: If I were to start a thread for typing in Hindi in OSX, which is the appropriate forum for that. Should I post it in "Using Mac OSC Leopard"?

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Answer 4

varjak paw

Level 10

182,668 points

Aug 18, 2009 8:39 AM in response to Swarup1

when I work in Ubuntu, for example, well SCIM comes with a standard Ubuntu install. But when you open SCIM, it doesn't say that it is using any front end other than SCIM itself.

I'm guessing that they also install an input manage such as SKIM, but I could easily be wrong. SCIM didn't have a lot of documentation (that I could find, anyway) so I wasn't able to determine for certain how much actual user interface code was included.

If I were to start a thread for typing in Hindi in OSX, which is the appropriate forum for that. Should I post it in "Using Mac OSC Leopard"?

That's the one I would use, yes.

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