Re: [tlug] Japanese Input

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <stephen@example.com>]

>>>>> "Junichi" == Junichi Uekawa <dancer@example.com> writes:

    Junichi> ATOK should be better than other free alternatives in
    Junichi> that it can use their patented technology in doing the
    Junichi> kana-kanji conversion.

    Junichi> I had an impression that there are algorithms that are
    Junichi> patented and cannot be used in free alternatives.

Maybe, but AFAIK the patented algorithms all have to do with learning
the user's habits and maybe autoregistration of conversions, not "out
of the box" accuracy.

Note that there are quite advanced _technologies_ available in free
engines.  FreeWnn has concentrated on autolearning, I believe, while
Canna (and the Shion dictionaries that can be used with Canna) offers
a much more detailed grammar than the one taught in school, which
allows substantially improved candidate selection.  The problem is
that to take advantage of them, you need to build tables, and
unfortunately that takes time and effort.

For alternative entry methods, Canna offers a full table ordered by
JIS code (not available as a pageable palette, only by row, at least
in canna.el), bushu selection (ie, by radical), and JIS code entry.

I did have strokes.el trained to count up to ten, but that was a proof
of concept, not a serious candidate for data entry (although it does
allow entry of handwritten glyphs in the buffer, which is cool---try
that with vim! :-)


-- 
Institute of Policy and Planning Sciences     http://turnbull.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp
University of Tsukuba                    Tennodai 1-1-1 Tsukuba 305-8573 JAPAN
               Ask not how you can "do" free software business;
              ask what your business can "do for" free software.