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From: kent@xanth.UUCP (Kent Paul Dolan)
Newsgroups: sci.lang,comp.std.internat
Subject: Re: generalised alphabets
Message-ID: <2342@xanth.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 2-Sep-87 18:00:34 EDT
Article-I.D.: xanth.2342
Posted: Wed Sep  2 18:00:34 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 5-Sep-87 09:35:54 EDT
References: <15488@mordor.s1.gov> <573@l.cc.purdue.edu>
Reply-To: kent@xanth.UUCP (Kent Paul Dolan)
Organization: Old Dominion University, Norfolk Va.
Lines: 21
Summary: card punch help
Xref: mnetor sci.lang:1284 comp.std.internat:201


Perhaps, to ease both the typing and the coding burden of accented and
other non-linear alphabets, we could add or identify a terminal key
and matching byte pair for overstrike, like the old card punch "mul
pch" key.  Back when I used these beasts, it didn't seem like much of
a burden to hold it down while I punched the several characters to
make the right pattern of holes in one card column.

The goal for the typest, after all, is a bit of flexibility.  One may
want to type "a" then "raised circle", another the opposite order.  If
an overstrike key were implemented, and it specificly understood that
the characters typed while it was held / bytes between the overstrike
markers were order independent, this would take care of lots of
languages which decorate letters, the infamous APL keyboard, and
perhaps some other problems.

Comments?  (I get down this far in my newsgroups once in a blue moon,
so email if you want an answer particlarly from me; post for general
delight.)

Kent, the man from xanth.