This document discusses issues with Chinese input methods in the GNOME desktop environment and proposes solutions. It notes that Cangjie and Quick input methods, popular in Hong Kong, were broken in IBus. The document outlines Sammy Fung's background and role in open source communities. It describes the Cangjie and Quick input methods and differences between Chinese languages. Modifications were made to IBus code to support 9 candidates per page for Quick input. The ibus-cangjie engine now provides proper support. Future work includes integrating the Stroke5 input method, designed for seniors and children.

1. IBus Chinese input methods for
HongKongers
Problem, Solution, Future.
Presented by Sammy Fung
sammy.hk

2. Sammy Fung
● Python developer.
● Founding Chairman of Hong Kong Linux
User Group in 1997.
● Community Manager of Open Source
Hong Kong (opensource.hk).
● Co-Organizers of GNOME.Asia 2012 in
Hong Kong.

3. When IBus become default input framework
of GNOME......

4. Chinese and CJK input methods seems to be
broken at GNOME desktop enviornment.

5. What is Cangjie 倉頡 ?

6. Cangjie 倉頡
● Unlike pinyin method (a pronunciation
aspect input method),
● Cangjie is based on the graphological
aspect (radical, shapes) of Chinese
characters.
● http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cangjie_inpu
t_method

7. Quick 速成
● Quick is a easy version of Cangjie,
● users input first and last code of original
Cangjie codes.
● and lookup candidate list of possible
Chinese characters, to select the
character they want to input.

8. Input methods in different
Chinese worlds
● Hong Kong is much different than China (the
mainland) and Taiwan.
● Hong Kong Chinese computer users uses
Cangjie and Quick for over 30 years.
● Pinyin is the most popular Chinese input
method in Taiwan.
● SCIM and GCIN are popular chinese input in
traditional chinese world (Hong Kong and
Taiwan).

9. Problems in IBus
● In ibus, cangjie and quick is provided by
ibus-table, but certain problems occurs
in ibus to use
● For Quick on IBus, number of character
candidates per page is 6, and
traditionally is 9 for many years.
● And showing order of character
candidates in Quick on IBus are different.

10. Quick in GCIN

11. Quick in old ibus-table

12. Modify a value in ibus python
code

13. 9 candidates after modification

14. Solution
● ibus-cangjie – a seperated IBus input
engine for Cangjie and Quick by Mathieu
Bridon.
● libcangjie is a cangjie library used by
ibus-cangjie, developed by Wanleung
Wong.
● And Allan helped to add ibus-cangjie to
input method selection panel in GNOME.

18. Future
● In the future, we will bring another HK
Chinese open source input method to
ibus and GNOME, it is stroke5.

19. Strokes in Chinese
● Handwriting a chinese characters with
use of different strokes.
● And stroke orders in handwriting.
● http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stroke_
%28Chinese_character%29
● http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stroke_order

20. Stroke 5
a chinese input method which its table is
inputted by Hong Kong seniors

21. Stroke 5
● a chinese input method which its table is
inputted by Hong Kong seniors
● with around 5,000 daily-use Chinese
characters.
● The idea and project is proposed and
coordindated by a social worker since
2001.

22. 5 different strokes
● Using " N M , . / " to represent 5 different
strokes of Chinese character in Stroke5,
which is equal to:
● "Horizontal", "Vertical", "Falling
leftwards", "Dot", "Curve"
● 橫 , 直 / 豎 , 撇 , 點 , 曲

23. Targeted users of Stroke 5
● It is suitable for seniors, stroke patients,
and children.
● Latest stroke5 website:
http://stroke5.webnode.tw/

24. Thank you
So, we hopes GNOME will be a favourite
desktop enviornment again in CJK world. :)
sammy.hk