[B-Greek] unicode for typing Greek

Joseph Weaks j.weaks at tcu.edu
Fri Dec 24 02:55:50 EST 2004


On Dec 23, 2004, at 3:46 PM, R Yochanan Bitan Buth wrote:
> EGRAPSEN yosef weaks
>> http://stuwww.tcu.edu/~jweaks/resources.html

> Personally, I would recommend using the national Greek typewriter
> keyboard layout as the base. ...
> If one is going to use unicode one might as well use a standard
> keyboard. You just might be typing on a terminal in Athens someday.

Randall,
I completely agree. As I stated a on December 9 in this thread:

>  "I also have a couple OS X keyboard layouts, one using the so-called 
> "Standard Mapping Initiative" used by Teknia, one using the Helena 
> keyboard mapping, and Randall I'd like to make one that uses the 
> standard modern Greek keyboard mapping as a base."

I finished the Helena-based keyboard. Roy's staff co-opted it. Here is 
the mapping I've put together so far for a national Greek layout base 
Biblical Greek Unicode keyboard:

http://stuwww.tcu.edu/~jweaks/BGreekHelenes.jpg

I put it into a jpg file, because it occurs to me that those of you 
without the fonts won't be able to view some of the sigla in the .pdf 
file.

In this Unicode keyboard layout, I've kept as much of the national 
Greek layout as possible. I placed diacriticals as best I could. The 
acute, grave, and circumflex make a nice pattern.

I am least pleased with the breathers, since they both require the 
shift key.
When possible, if a key has been replaced by a diacritical, such as /, 
using the option key will give you that character.
I need to get clear on what to do with semicolon, Greek question mark, 
colon (both kinds). No need to duplicate positions.

I could do enhance coding on the keyboard to improve features.
I could make any regular sigma followed by a space, comma or period 
automagically convert to a final sigma.
Also, could code it so that pressing w twice, instead of placing two 
final sigmas, would place a single lunate sigma.
Or, because the [ key is the smooth+acute diacritical, pressing it 
twice could produce the [ character. I could do this with all of the 
appropriate combining diacriticals.
Thoughts?

Our PC folks should give just as much input, so that we can then 
establish the same extended mapping for a Windows Unicode Keyboard.

When in Greece, I HAVE done some typing on a Greek keyboard... but the 
Greek keyboard has the correct letters on the keys, so there's no 
problem. As it is, it's presenting me with a big learning curve to find 
Omega on the v, and the like.
Joe Weaks

**************************************************************
Rev. Joseph A. Weaks
Senior Minister, Bethany Christian Church, Dallas
Ph.D. (Cand.), Brite Divinity School, Ft. Worth
j.weaks at tcu.edu
**************************************************************




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