Re: Lojban word processor for Windows?

[David Brookshire Conner <nellardo@concentric.net>]

[ this is the text editor thread]
mark@kli.org writes:
 > I *like* that idea.  I guess I'm surprised I didn't already write a major
 > mode in emacs.  Then again, I also have to keep reminding myself what
 > people are looking for.  I still expect word-processors to be just really
 > really good typewriter/typesetter machines, not popping up templates,
 > word-completions (unless you ask), stuff like that.  But I'll wager that
 > just an as-you-type cmene-checker would get a workout!

Oh yeah - there will be some people that want an emacs mode just for
the chuckle value - "Look! I can get Zippy to talk Lojban! Now let's
psychoanalyze it!" (Emacs arcana - if you don't get it, don't worry.)

 > >An initial Framemaker extension would consist simply of a document
 > >template with lots of smart "paragraph" styles (with each "paragraph"
 > >in Framemaker being a lojban bridi). For example:
 > >
 > >StartUtterance - first sentence, following "paragraph" is
 > >ContinueUtterance - "autonumbered" to start with ".i "
 > >StartParagraph - autostarts with .ni'o, next para is
 > >  continueUtterance.
 > >etc. formatting makes all this look pretty.

 > Maybe indents for .i?

My first try on this (since writing the email earlier today) assumes
each bridi has it's own "paragraph". The first bridi in a .ni'o
paragraph has no automatic text, and is a "run-in" heading, which
means the next para starts on the same line this one finishes on. You
use a new .ni'o style for a .ni'o paragraph, which starts on its own
line. The ".ni'o" is inserted automatically, and the ".ni'o" hangs
into the left margin, which makes paragraphs easy to spot. It's also
consistent with ".ni'oni'o" and such.

So text looks like this:

      mi vecnu ta la djan. .i la djan. mi i vecnu .i mi tavla la
      meris.

.ni'o la lojban. melbi mi

.ni'o la zo'is. melbi mi .i la zo'is. mi melbi vecnu vau



It might be nice to automatically decorate the .ni'o and the .i (e.g., 
in bold, or a slightly larger font, or something) to make them a
little more obvious.  Of course, a lojban font would handle this (see
the other thread).

 > > > or give the breakdown 
 > > > of a legal but undefined lujvo with a different mouse click. 
 > >
 > >and a database of the rafsi....
 > 
 > YES.  For building and reading.

Sure - tab completion! This *is* emacs we're talking about!

 > And one of cmavo?

Yep. If it is syntax-aware, of course, it should only suggest legal
cmavo for wherever point is. And with tab-completion again.


Brook

---------
"If you can't make it good, at least make it look good."
-- Bill Gates on the solid code base of Win9X

---------
Fancy. Myth. Magic.
http://www.concentric.net/~nellardo/