typings of a random clicker

Many a times come across comments on how difficult Inscript is to use with an english keyboard…but hey Inscript was developed with the idea that one fine day keyboards with Indic scripts etched on them would be in wide use. This never really happened for one the effort by Indic solution vendors to give multiple input schemes to tie users down to their software, than attempt to follow a standard and rest blame on keyboard manufacturers on not bringing them out in volumes citing lack of demand. Only one I have come across is TVSE models, which though best in reliability (have one which is being use for 14yrs at home!) are not bought until needed for heavy usage as done by typists in govt depts. Keyboard stickers too never really caught well in the sense that they they tend to spoil the look of a keyboard

When the first time a person used english keyboard (qwerty or otherwise), did they not have to learn or remember the layout?!
Reminds me of a conversation overheard at an assembler, where a buyer getting PC assmember asked if he could get a Hindi keyboard, the response was he could but it would cost thrice the amount for the cheap one assembler was giving and that he could stick stickers if he really wanted to use Hindi.

I am not against Input schemes phonetically following QWERTY layout, but they could work at a higher plane providing more advanced form of input, like say predictive input.

So my question to critics of Inscript layout, would have you still not attempted to learn it even if the layout was etched on your keyboard?

Entering Hargeisia

Originally uploaded by Carl Montgomery.

Came across this photo of Somalian city, notice the Dabur & Vatika hair oil boards on the gate!!

After a failed mexican attempt, I leave tomorrow morning to the other side of planet, ie USofA. Would be spending a week in Mountain View, then couple of weeks in San Francisco. Apart from work, only thing on mind is getting a telescope (with EQ mount).
I should be back into a stable mode only until a month from now.

The TZ difference would keep few things out of sync.

For Indic Folks: If any ideas/plans for foss.in then add here here . Since I wont be able to follow up much on things in time, someone please take call on what could be done.

Came across this book.. perhaps comes a little too late.. but I guess it wouldnt have come earlier anyways considering the X Window System history.

Quite good read, to finally get X configuration right, use its potential well, use desktop to its full.
(Indian edition for 260/-)

just posting sitting in a plane at nagpur enroute to delhi

If you have a nice idea/proposal in Indic computing domain , add here http://www.indlinux.org/wiki/index.php/GoogleSoc2008 as we plan to sign up IndLinux as a mentoring organization & then hope for the best!

testdisk is a tool to scan and repair partitions

apt-get install testdisk
TestDisk checks the partition and boot sectors of your disks. It is very useful in recovering lost partitions. It works with : * FAT12 * FAT16 * FAT32 * NTFS (Windows NT/W2K/XP) * EXT2FS/EXT3FS (Linux) * Linux Swap (1 & 2) * IBM Multiboot * BeFS (BeOS) * UFS (BSD) * ReiserFS (1 & 2)

Its sister tool photorec helps recover images, files from digital camera memory cards..
speaking of disk partitions its always a good idea to keep a printed copy of partition table (or store in multiple email boxes)..

fdisk -l /dev/hda | lpr
Case

Today I almost lost the data in /home partition when reorganizing the partition table on 120GB disk…while had the proper cylinder counts (from partition table print!).. there were some mismatch in the no of blocks allocated…perhaps some boundary alignment errors.. which rendered the partition unmountable… testdisk was able to fix it by properly marking the partition.

Never came across this before!

Ok.. so another great event came to an end… being at the old place was good.. but as expected.. hectic.. lot to write more.. & pics to upload..

I finally got to use the tata wifi 10hr account i bought 2 months back..it never seemed to work in Delhi domestic… bangalore one is better!..

more later… sec-chk up!