Multilingual Computing in Malayalam : Embedding the Original Script of Malayalam in Linux and Development of KDE Applications

Abstract

Indic Language Computing can be fully realized only through embedding vernacular scripts in operating systems. With the advent of OTF (Open Type Font) embedding local scripts in OS compliant with Unicode has become a reality taking computing beyond word processing. Microsoft has already come to this field strongly by embedding Devanagari in MS Windows. Compared to the closedness of Microsoft OS, free and open environment of Linux is ideal for the early accomplishment of multilingual computing. This paper describes initiatives of Rachana team in embedding Malayalam script in GNU/Linux operating system. Modules are added for KDE with its rendering engine QT so that the original exhaustive character set of Malayalam developed by Rachana is embedded fully in compliance with Unicode. For the first time, prospects are open to create DBMS and information systems using Malayalam script. Computing in Malayalam language is being initiated in the true sense only now. The procedures set up by Rachana-GNU/Linux is highly beneficial to the goals of INFLIBNET in fulfilling a total integrated bibliographic control of Indian literature in their native scripts.