Re: [A12n-Collab] RE: [PALNet-general] Utilities for analyzing keyboards?

["Andrew Cunningham" <andrewc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Does anyone know of an existing perl or python script that could do the
pair frequency analysis that Tunde suggests?

It would also be
useful for identifying potential kerning pairs for fonts.

Andrew

On Sun, June 29, 2008 3:52 pm, Tunde Adegbola
wrote:
> 
> One feature that may also be useful is to
determine the most frequent
> pairs of characters so as to be able
to arrange the layout for difference
> fingers to type (each
character of) frequently occurring pairs of
> character
>
Tunde
> 
>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Tunde Adegbola (Ph.D.)
> Executive Director
>
African Languages Technology Initiative
> 
> (Alt-I ...
Inserting African issues into the agenda of the knowledge age)
>
> 
> www.alt-i.org
> 
> President
> Tiwa Systems Ltd.
> 
> 11 Oluyole Way, New Bodija
Ibadan, Nigeria.
> +234 8034019398
>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------>
>
From: dzo@xxxxxxxxxxxx> To:
a12n-collaboration@xxxxxxxxxxxx;
> keyboards@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:58:58 -0400> CC:
>
ILAT@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: [PALNet-general] Utilities for
> analyzing keyboards?> > In discussing layouts for African
languages whose
> orthographies include characters or diacritic
combinations not supported
> by American and European keyboards,*
and being aware not only of the
> multiplicity of possible
layouts, but that various layouts have already
> been created and
some number of them are used to varying extents, I'm
> wondering
about the potential value of 2 kinds of utilities to analyze
>
layouts statistically:> > 1) A way of "censusing"
character placements on
> keys on existing layouts - in other
words a way to enter keyboard layouts
> into the utility and have
it count what is assigned to what key, and show
> what keys have
been used for a given character. It seems to me that this
>
information might be useful in getting an idea of whether there are
some
> emerging consensuses (or people for whatever reason
thinking in the same
> lines) regarding placement and
arrangements. Such data might possibly
> point to things we hadn't
realized or imagined.> > 2) Even more useful
> might be a
utility to analyze the work of typing with different existing
>
and proposed layouts. Say you had alternative layouts for Yoruba (or
any
> language). The idea would be a way to have a utility in
which you could
> enter the layout information and then put in a
text and figure out how
> many keystrokes it takes to enter that
text with the alternative layouts.
> In principle, once such a
thing existed you could also analyze what
> fingers are doing the
work, but the main idea I have of being able to say
> how
"efficient" a given layout is in terms of keystroke count for
sample
> (and hopefully representative) texts, and so anticipate
how it might be
> received by users.> > IMO, one really
helpful outcome of any keyboard
> project at this point in time
would be the ability to systematically
> analyze what we are
proposing and thus take the learning and quality of
> production
up a notch. Perhaps the concept of such utilities to do this
>
would interest multiple projects, such as PanAfrican Localisation
Network,
> AfLaT, OLPC, .... And perhaps commercial ventures would
be interested.> >
> I'll cc the ILAT list since some
indigenous languages with extended Latin
> character sets
presumably have similar issues.> > Don Osborn>
>
Bisharat.net> > > * Mainly "category 3 & 4"
orthographies in the system I
> proposed last December on
A12n-collab: >
>
http://lists.kabissa.org/lists/archives/public/a12n-collaboration/msg01059.html
> > > > _______________________________________________>
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> mailing list>
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>
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>
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-- 
Andrew Cunningham
Research and Development
Coordinator
Vicnet
State Library of Victoria
Australia

andrewc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx