Tibetan Input Method for Linux (Gnome)
Linux supports a number of different input method implementations to support different Tibetan keyboards:
- IBUS, the Intelligent input bus. This provides the currently recommended method for typing Tibetan in Linux.
- UIM, for older linux versions that do not yet support IBus
- SCIM, not described here.
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Installing a Tibetan IBUS input method for gnome
- You should have installed the packages:
ibus,ibus-m17n,m17ndb. - Ubuntu users need to make sure (10.04 and higher) that IBus is the active input method: Go to System / Administration / Language support: On the bottom of the screen is the Input Method selector, make sure it is on "IBus". (See Img. 1)
- Next, configure a hotkey that switches between your normal keyboard and the Tibetan input method. Go to System / Preferences / IBus Preferences and select a hot key (see Img. 2).
- Then enable a Tibetan input method (available are EWTS, extended Wylie, Wylie and CTRC) (see Img. 3)
Installing a Tibetan UIM input method for gnome
For gnome you need the packages uim, uim-m17nlib, uim-applet-gnome.
This installs a Wylie input method (as part of uim-m17nlib) and a keyboard switcher that can be added to the gnome panel:
- Right-click the gnome-panel, select "Add to Panel..." and add the "Input Method Indicator (uim)".
- Within the configuration of UIM, enable the input method
"m17n-bo-wylie"or the newerm17n-bo-ewts, . - Now open gnome text editor (gedit), select a Tibetan font, e.g. Tibetan Machine Uni and activate the input method
"m17n-bo-wylie". - You should now be able to type Tibetan.
Advanced customization
All input methods (scim, uim, and ibus) rely on a configuration file that is installed as part of m17n.lib.
It is possible to exchange or change the way the input method "m17n-bo-wylie" works: Simply edit (as root, make a backup first!)
/usr/share/m17n/bo-wylie.mim
to add or modify the translation from wylie into Unicode Tibetan. This file serves as documentation of the input method and is also a good way to understand how the input method translates Wylie into Tibetan Unicode.
More information
- How to edit Tibetan texts
- Installing Monlam BodYig
- Preparing a Computer running Linux / Gnome for Tibetan Editing
- Preparing Computers for Tibetan Editing
- Tibetan Input Method (general, all operating systems)
- Unicode
External Links
- EWTS Extended Wylie system (PDF file) http://www.thlib.org/reference/transliteration/teachingewts.pdf
- Ibus: Description of the IBus project http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligent_Input_Bus
- IBus project home page http://code.google.com/p/ibus/
- Input Methods, at Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Input_method
- Monlam BodYig, fonts with input program http://lobsangmonlam.org/Product.html
- Unicode, at Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicode
- Wylie transliteration, at Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wylie_transliteration
