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Ibus-typing-booster default for Indian languages

Summary

Make ibus-typing-booster the default input method for Indian languages.

Owner

  • Name: Mike Fabian
  • Email: <mfabian@redhat.com>
  • Release notes owner:

Current status

  • Targeted release: Fedora 30
  • Last updated: 2019-06-07
  • Tracker bug: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>

Detailed Description

Currently, ibus-m17n is the default input method for Indian languages in Fedora. ibus-typing-booster uses the same libm17n used by ibus-m17n to support input for Indian languages and thus it can do everything ibus-m17n can do. But on top of that, ibus-typing-booster supports predictive input by remembering user input and by using words from dictionaries. Therefore, ibus-typing-booster is a more useful input method for these languages.

Benefit to Fedora

A better input experience for users of Indian languages.

Scope

  • Proposal owners:

The langtable package has data about default input methods. Change this data. But the data in langtable is currently apparently not used by gnome-initial setup. The list of default input methods used by gnome-initial-setup us stored in

libgnome-desktop/default-input-sources.h

Currently there are the following default input methods for the Indian locales:

static DefaultInputSource default_input_sources[] =
{
  ...
  { "as_IN",    "ibus",         "m17n:as:phonetic" },
  ...
  { "bn_IN",    "ibus",         "m17n:bn:inscript" },
  ...
  { "gu_IN",    "ibus",         "m17n:gu:inscript" },
  ...
  { "hi_IN",    "ibus",         "m17n:hi:inscript" },
  ...
  { "kn_IN",    "ibus",         "m17n:kn:kgp" },
  ...
  { "mai_IN",   "ibus",         "m17n:mai:inscript" },
  ...
  { "ml_IN",    "ibus",         "m17n:ml:inscript" },
  ...
  { "mr_IN",    "ibus",         "m17n:mr:inscript" },
  ...
  { "or_IN",    "ibus",         "m17n:or:inscript" },
  ...
  { "pa_IN",    "ibus",         "m17n:pa:inscript" },
  ...
  { "sd_IN",    "ibus",         "m17n:sd:inscript" },
  ...
  { "ta_IN",    "ibus",         "m17n:ta:tamil99" },
  ...
  { "te_IN",    "ibus",         "m17n:te:inscript" },
  ...
  { "ur_IN",    "ibus",         "m17n:ur:phonetic" },
  ...

Here, "m17n:as:phonetic" would need to be replaced with "typing-booster". And similar for the other Indian languages.

ibus-typing-booster selects the default input method to use from the locale when it is first started. For the above Indian locales ibus-typing-booster >= 2.4.2 has the same default m17n input methods as libgnome-desktop/default-input-sources.h, except that it always uses inscript2 instead of inscript by default.

  • Other developers: N/A (not a System Wide Change)
  • Policies and guidelines: N/A (not a System Wide Change)
  • Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change)

Upgrade/compatibility impact

Nothing should happen when upgrading from a previous version of Fedora. If a user used ibus-m17n before the upgrade, they will still use it after the upgrade. This change proposal only changes the default input method for an Indian language for new installs or new user accounts.

How To Test

N/A (not a System Wide Change)

Do a new installation of Fedora 30 in an Indian language. Log into Gnome. See what input method is suggested by default by gnome-initial-setup.

User Experience

Easier input of Indian language because of predictive input.

Dependencies

gnome-initial-setup

Contingency Plan

  • Contingency mechanism: Leave the default input methods as they are now and move the change to Fedora 31
  • Contingency deadline: Fedora 30 Beta release
  • Blocks release? No.
  • Blocks product? No.

Documentation

N/A (not a System Wide Change)

Release Notes