We need a perfect solution of Chinese support in TeX

LiYanrui posted @ Oct 21, 2008 04:32:49 PM in Dream of TeX with tags ConTeXt MkIV , 3710 阅读

These days I have tried to understand a few segments of source code about Chinese support in ConTeXt MkIV, because, with my own efforts, I want to solve the problem of Chinese puncuations appeared on the right side of pages which often affect the aesthetic feel of typesetting. I noticed that there two lines of code that look like unnecessary and I hide them with comment sign. After regenerating ConTeXt formats, I recompiled those documents that I have already finished including those in CTXnotes project. I found all is ok! Now Chinese puncuations never appear on the right side and the layout looks very tidy.

As a matter of fact, there are a number of problems in aspect of Chinese support of ConTeXt MkIV and I possess no way to solve it. Those problems make me feel depressed and we must report them to the developers again and again. Now, I don't know if it is good decision that our project report is written with ConTeXt MkIV.

TeX have existed beyond thirty years. But till today, the process of documents written in Chinese is still tough problem to TeX even though XeTeX and LuaTeX have intended to provide a general solution to all languages in the world and have got many great achievements. When many Chinese users start to try a centain TeX, they are usually frightened back by the difficulties such as configuring and loading Chinese fonts, Chinese text lines breaking and so on. Because of differences in languages and not familiar with TeX, it is very difficult that we try to make the developers of TeX understand what we truly require.

Many guys of ours always think that the software likes MS word is enouth for us. In fact, it is nothing but an kind of office software and it is not fit for typesetting documents in area of science and technology. It is not always effective what you see is what you get as well as we can't describe anything only with pictures. For example, you have no good idea for processing cross references, mathematics typesetting and multi-user writing with MS word. However, TeX is always good at these.

TeX is a kind of typesetting mark language with which we canaccurately tell the TeX command processor what we want to do. When we typeset some article with TeX, this thing itself seems that we are truly writing article rather than painting with our mouse and keyboard.

I believe that more and more people will realize the importance of TeX in the future. But, most important of all, we require a perfect solution of Chinese support in TeX, while many people are unwilling to join the activity of TeX development. This looks like a strange circle. In this circle, I can't do anything but step forward to solve my own problems to the best of my ability.

r0bertz 说:
2008年10月23日 18:08

man, keep on the good work, ;)

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LiYanrui 说:
2008年10月23日 21:00

Thanks for your encouragement.

Yue Wang 说:
2008年10月23日 21:49

umm... you english is improved:)

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一剑行天下 说:
2008年11月05日 02:16

A very high standard of English


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