[Localization] [UKids] Write Activity Updates (Tim Moody)

Wed Aug 12 07:05:38 EDT 2015

Hi Sarah,

A few of us are here in Rochester, NY at a big Fedora conf, asking if this
Arabic/language-switching is continuing to come together with sufficient
font + keyboard usability?  Just checking in..please let us know in coming
days!
On Aug 2, 2015 12:09 PM, "Lionel Laské" <lionel at olpc-france.org> wrote:

> Hi Sarah,
>
> french.xmodmap is the file I've create to match French keyboard keys to
> the US XO-4 Keyboard.
> You have to create your own arabic.xmodmap file with your key mapping to
> Arabic Keyboard and put it in the /etc/X11 directory then update the file
> xbd.xbd (launched at startup) to call xmodmap command with your
> arabic.xmodmap file.
> dokbfrupdate.sh mentioned on my mail is the script file I've created to
> update easily all laptops.
> Basically we just have to put this file (and others files needed) on an
> USB key, boot each laptop, launch command line and launch the script. Then
> all files are installed on the laptop automatically, the laptop is power
> down and it will use the French keyboard at next boot. If you've have only
> few laptops to upgrade you could ignore this script and do the process
> manually.
>
> Hope these information could help.
>
> Best regards from France.
>
>           Lionel.
>
>
> 2015-08-01 21:31 GMT+02:00 Sarah Naguib <sanaguib at gmail.com>:
>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I got the Arabic to work on my computer (yay!) but it also didn’t survive
>> reboot. Lionel, thank you for the links that you sent. I looked at them and
>> am wondering of the commands that are listed in the February link can be
>> changed to fit other languages. For example, I see the command xmodmap
>> /etc/X11/french.xmodmap—would that be able to be changed to Arabic? At what
>> step did you input these commands into the terminal? I apologize if I’m
>> missing something (which I definitely have the tendency to do).
>>
>> Thanks all so much!
>>
>> Sarah
>>
>> On Jul 31, 2015, at 3:33 AM, Lionel Laské <lionel at olpc-france.org> wrote:
>>
>>
>> Hi Tim,
>>
>> I've experimented a way to change the keyboard map on boot.
>> My need was to update XO-4 to a French keyboard.
>> See my exchanges here:
>> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/archive/sugar-devel/2015-February/049555.html
>> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/archive/sugar-devel/2014-December/049351.html
>>
>> Hope it could help.
>>
>> Best regards from France.
>>
>>         Lionel
>>
>>
>> 2015-07-31 3:31 GMT+02:00 <support-gang-request at lists.laptop.org>:
>>>
>>> Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2015 21:31:32 -0400
>>> From: Tim Moody <tim at timmoody.com>
>>> To: "'Community Support Volunteers -- who help respond to \"help AT
>>>         laptop.org\"'" <support-gang at lists.laptop.org>,  "'Gonzalo
>>> Odiard'"
>>>         <godiard at sugarlabs.org>
>>> Cc: 'OLPC Localization list' <localization at lists.laptop.org>, 'Unleash
>>>         Kids!' <unleashkids at googlegroups.com>, 'Jerry Vonau' <
>>> me at jvonau.ca>
>>> Subject: Re: [support-gang] [Localization] [UKids] Write Activity
>>>         Updates
>>> Message-ID: <BLU405-EAS9CEC730CEE22046E749AAC58A0 at phx.gbl>
>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>>>
>>> I just tested and this solution does not survive reboot.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Can someone suggest the best way to do the setxkbmap ara command on boot
>>> or a config file in which to declare the map.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> From: support-gang [mailto:support-gang-bounces at lists.laptop.org] On
>>> Behalf Of Tim Moody
>>> Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2015 12:43 PM
>>> To: 'Community Support Volunteers -- who help respond to "help AT
>>> laptop.org"' <support-gang at lists.laptop.org>; 'Gonzalo Odiard' <
>>> godiard at sugarlabs.org>
>>> Cc: 'OLPC Localization list' <localization at lists.laptop.org>; 'Unleash
>>> Kids!' <unleashkids at googlegroups.com>; 'Jerry Vonau' <me at jvonau.ca>
>>> Subject: Re: [support-gang] [Localization] [UKids] Write Activity Updates
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I should have mentioned, that we did not test exhaustively, but Khaled
>>> says that the keys correspond to the standard Arabic keyboard layout.  The
>>> only thing we noticed is that diacriticals like tanwin and damma followed
>>> the character rather than being over it.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> From: unleashkids at googlegroups.com <mailto:unleashkids at googlegroups.com>
>>> [mailto:unleashkids at googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Tim Moody
>>> Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2015 12:38 PM
>>> To: 'Community Support Volunteers -- who help respond to "help AT
>>> laptop.org"' <support-gang at lists.laptop.org <mailto:
>>> support-gang at lists.laptop.org> >; 'Gonzalo Odiard' <
>>> godiard at sugarlabs.org <mailto:godiard at sugarlabs.org> >
>>> Cc: 'OLPC Localization list' <localization at lists.laptop.org <mailto:
>>> localization at lists.laptop.org> >; 'Unleash Kids!' <
>>> unleashkids at googlegroups.com <mailto:unleashkids at googlegroups.com> >;
>>> 'Jerry Vonau' <me at jvonau.ca <mailto:me at jvonau.ca> >
>>> Subject: RE: [support-gang] [Localization] [UKids] Write Activity Updates
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> So my son-in-law just typed my name in Arabic characters in the write
>>> activity on an xo-4.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I as I often do, I used a shot-gun approach to get this to work, so it
>>> may be that not all of this is necessary or even the best approach, but
>>> here is what I did:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> in terminal under Sugar
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> yum groupinstall arabic-support
>>>
>>> yum groupinstall input-methods
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I went down the road of SCIM, but I think it was a dead end.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> yum install scim-tables-arabic
>>>
>>> yum install scim-m17n
>>>
>>> at this point the keyboard still did not give anything but Roman
>>> characters.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I switched to Gnome and under Applications->Other->Language I took
>>> Arabic-Egypt
>>>
>>> Under Applications->Other->Input Methods I chose IBus
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> In terminal I did the command setxkbmap ara
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> (I previously ran setxkbmap -print and saw quite a few includes, many
>>> with olpc in their names, so not sure if I lost control characters.)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Now I went into the Abiword app under gnome, selected the KacstOffice
>>> font, and I could type Arabic characters.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I switched back to Sugar and started Write.  I was able to type Arabic
>>> characters.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Probably I should follow Gonzalo's suggestion and install the font
>>> activity to get better font control for Write.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I think there is a good chance that this will not survive a boot and
>>> that it would have to be done again if I switched to English in XO Settings.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> BTW,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> You can avoid having to reflash to get out of Arabic, by clicking on the
>>> world map icon (Language) and selecting the 4th item in the second column
>>> from the right which is
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> الإنجليزية
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> and then click the option which looks like a power button.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> From: support-gang [mailto:support-gang-bounces at lists.laptop.org] On
>>> Behalf Of Sarah Naguib
>>> Sent: Monday, July 20, 2015 10:23 PM
>>> To: Gonzalo Odiard <godiard at sugarlabs.org <mailto:godiard at sugarlabs.org>
>>> >
>>> Cc: OLPC Localization list <localization at lists.laptop.org <mailto:
>>> localization at lists.laptop.org> >; Community Support Volunteers -- who
>>> help respond to help AT laptop.org <support-gang at lists.laptop.org
>>> <mailto:support-gang at lists.laptop.org> >; Unleash Kids! <
>>> unleashkids at googlegroups.com <mailto:unleashkids at googlegroups.com> >;
>>> Jerry Vonau <me at jvonau.ca <mailto:me at jvonau.ca> >
>>> Subject: Re: [support-gang] [Localization] [UKids] Write Activity Updates
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Thank you so much to those who have answered my email! I have tried some
>>> of your suggestions--I will update you with the information that I have
>>> now, and will continue to do so as I continue to try.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Adam: you have correctly identified the SKU on the battery
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Gary/Adam: I tried switching the language into Arabic in the Control
>>> Panel when my laptop was using the 13.2.2 OS and it didn’t work, even when
>>> I folded the laptop down into the touch screen mode as one of you
>>> suggested. I have yet to try it with the 13.2.5 OS, but I will do that soon
>>> and keep you all posted.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Gonzalo: Yes, the interface language was translated into Arabic on the
>>> main screen of the laptop, however when I opened up the Write Activity, the
>>> letters only appear in English. Funny enough, however, the buttons at the
>>> top of the screen moved from the left side to the right side, as Arabic is
>>> a language that is read from left to right. When I went through the list of
>>> possible fonts, Arabic never came up—only English ones, despite the fact
>>> that i had Arabic selected as the primary language of the laptop in the
>>> Control Panel.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Additionally, I did some more research online and followed
>>> http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Customizing_NAND_images#Language which had
>>> another set of instructions on changing the language in the terminal that I
>>> had not previously tried, but it didn’t work either. It came up with an
>>> error message saying that “key=language not an available option.” I’ve
>>> never seen that error message before, so if any of you have experience with
>>> that and would like to shed light on the issue, please let me know.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Thank you all so much for your help! I will continue to keep you all
>>> posted with my progress!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Sarah
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Jul 19, 2015, at 7:11 PM, Gonzalo Odiard <godiard at sugarlabs.org
>>> <mailto:godiard at sugarlabs.org> > wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Adding to what Jerry said about the fonts, you need to know that
>>>
>>> recent versions of Write activity do not show all the fonts available
>>>
>>> in the system (There are many fonts installed by libraries
>>>
>>> that are not usable on Sugar)
>>>
>>> You can install the activity Fonts (
>>> http://activities.sugarlabs.org/en-US/sugar/addon/4669)
>>>
>>> to select what fonts will be available on Write (and Paint and FotoToon)
>>>
>>> That activity also show a preview of the fonts, but using a English text.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Gonzalo
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> --
>> Unsung Heroes of OLPC, interviewed live @ http://unleashkids.org !
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>>
>>
> --
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