[XeTeX] Em-dash

Andrew Moschou andmos at gmail.com
Tue May 4 10:53:43 CEST 2010


On my computer, compose is Shift+RightControl (see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compose_key). This approach is best for staying
within one script. For example, typing accented Latin characters (for
various western European languages for example) on a US English keyboard and
the compose key approach is not suitable for typing Greek or Cyrillic using
a Latin based keyboard (whether US English, AZERTY, QWERTZ or whatever).
Well designed keyboard combinations will allow us to type the various
Unicode punctuation marks regardless of keyboard layout. I agree it is best
to switch keyboard layouts when typing a multiscript document and I
understand the difficulties in learning the different locations where
punctuation marks are placed in each layout, and because of this I've also
created a Cyrillic layout just for me, so I can type Cyrillic efficiently.

Andrew


On 4 May 2010 17:18, Juan Francisco Fraile Vicente <
juanfranciscofv at gmail.com> wrote:

> Which is that compose key on Linux?
>
> I think all of you have a part of reason, but we have to remember that one
> of the best things of the world of TeX is the multiple options that offers.
> Erasing that conventions would be a loss.
> Although I agree (it's difficult to see --- sometimes and the source code
> may result in low readability), XeTeX is everyday more known for linguists
> that work with several languages. And the great characteristic of XeTeX is a
> more comfortable environment for working with several languages (that it is
> possible in LaTeX, but some time ago it was not so easy for some of us if
> working with Unicode).
> Many people working with documents in several languages have the same
> problem: it's necessary to change again and again between language-keyboard.
> And every keyboard usually puts diacritical marks, dashes, points and other
> chars where the designer wanted/preferred. In this way those methods of
> LaTeX are very productive: LaTeX accents, for instance, make much easier to
> put vocalic quantities in Latin, or marks for textual criticism in Greek
> like a point under a greek letter. These are two examples only, and I agree
> with some  of you that suggest to learn the keyboard distribution, but
> sometimes it's more difficult than it seems (for instance, in Spain we have
> our own distribution, specially different because it includes our 'ñ', and
> if I change to Greek layout on Linux is really different and few intuitive
> for Spanish users). I am designing a layout for Ancient Greek for Spanish
> keyboard and people who will use it will have to learn where I put the
> em-dash for instance, but if they work with XeTeX and those codes of LaTeX,
> this question is independent of the keyboard, the system or the editor, I
> think.
>
> Sorry if I have made any mistake talking about XeTeX, I will be always a
> **TeX learner...
>
> Best regards,
>
> Juan Francisco
>
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