keyboard_intro.php

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<p>
The main aim of <strong>Andika!</strong> is to enable Swahili manuscripts in Arabic script to be transcribed digitally in Arabic script - see the section <a href="http://andika/typesetting.php"> Typesetting poetry</a>.  (A second aim, enabling Arabic script to be used easily for current-day writing of Swahili, is covered in the section <a href="http://andika/spelling.php"> Spelling conventions</a>.  Round-trip conversion between Arabic and Roman scripts is a useful by-product of these two aims, and is covered in the <a href="./ar_rom.php">Arabic to Roman</a> and <a href="./rom_ar.php">Roman to Arabic</a> sections.)
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<p>
The keyboard layout proposed here should enable most historical manuscripts to be transliterated letter-for-letter, and since it uses a standard keyboard, and links the Arabic letters to their Roman equivalents, it is easy to start using immediately.
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<h6>Initial requirements</h6>

<p>
It is assumed that you have a computer running <a href="http://ubuntu.com">Ubuntu</a>, and are broadly familiar with how to use it.  Ubuntu is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux">GNU/Linux</a> distribution launched by a South African, Mark Shuttleworth, and the name is cognate with Swahili <span class="sm_swahili">أُوتُ</span> (<strong>utu</strong>, <em>humanity</em>).  
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<p>
If you are not currently using Ubuntu, an easy way to get started is to run it from inside Microsoft Windows, using <a href="http://www.ubuntu.com/download/help/install-ubuntu-with-windows">Wubi</a> (Windows-based Ubuntu Installer).  Detailed information is available in the  <a href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/WubiGuide">Wubi Guide</a>.

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<p>
It is assumed that you are using the <a href="http://kde.org">KDE</a> desktop environment, and the instructions here apply to that.  Similar options, however, are available if you are using other desktops such as <a href="http://gnome.org">GNOME</a> or <a href="http://unity.ubuntu.com">Unity</a>.  If you wish to use KDE as your own desktop environment, just install the <em>kubuntu-desktop</em> package in Ubuntu.
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<p>
It is assumed that you are familiar with the basic conventions of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_alphabet">Arabic alphabet</a> (eg the different letter-shapes).
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<h6>Install a font</h6>

<p>
In order to see the Arabic script properly, your computer must be able to access a font that includes Arabic letterforms (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glyphs">glyphs</a>). Many fonts nowadays will include some Arabic glyphs, but their attractiveness and coverage varies widely - for instance, many fonts do not include <span class="sm_swahili">پ</span>  (<strong>p</strong>) or <span class="sm_swahili">ڠ</span> (<strong>g</strong>).  If you are seeing squares or boxes in the Arabic script, the reason is that the font you are using is missing glyphs.
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<p>
The best font option currently is <strong>Scheherazade</strong>, created by Bob Hallissy and Jonathan Kew.  To get the most recent version, download <em>ScheherazadeRegOT-1.005.zip</em> from <a href="http://scripts.sil.org/cms/scripts/page.php?item_id=ArabicFonts_Download#ofl">this page</a>, and unzip it.  Then double-click the file <em>ScheherazadeRegOT.ttf</em> to install the font on your computer. In Ubuntu, it will be installed into <em>/usr/local/share/fonts/</em>. 
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