Arabic Mac OS X localization progress

[Riklar]

I do think that Pages R2L is not depending on writing again the software, but to apple to adjust its OSX software text engine to handle L2R languages, and these languages including, first of all Arabic, but also Hebrew, Persian, some Indian languages, and if I am not mistaken, Thai as well.

So this is a large market Apple ignores until now.

When Apple will implement a R2L text engine in its OSX one will be able to write without problems Arabic and English in the same document without difficultiees. I think that only Arabic, one can write now already.

Software which are not based on Apple OSX text engine, but on their own text engine, like Mellel and NisusExpress are handling today very well r2L text documents.
There exists a possibility to write R2L text in Mail.app as well, but it needs manipulation and it is not natural.

[Zaid Al Hilali]

Thai as well.

I gather it is Left to Right.

Software which are not based on Apple OSX text engine, but on their own text engine, like Mellel and NisusExpress are handling today very well r2L text documents.

You've placed the answer within your own question . It is not enough for the OS to hold Arabic language attributes within it so that each application runing on the OS to utilize seamlessly. Each application must be re-written or updated to be able to handle Arabic capablities.

[Riklar]

I am afraid I was not clear enough, and may be I was not understood by you.
As far as i know software written on cocoa are depending in their writing direction behavior on the text engine of the OS. Pages and TextEdit and Mail and Office 2004 can write Arabic since they utilize unicode fonts containing Arabic glyphs. These software can handle also writing in R2L direction, either by Menu command or by Justification command. These software can't handling Arabic with English text in the same document and with R2L paragraph and style, as it is done for example in InDesigne ME or by Mellel or by NisusExpress or NeoOfficeMellel, since these last software are utilizing their own text engines, and not the Apple text engine which for the time being is L2R native.

I wish Apple text engine in Leopard coming very soon will be changed to include the R2L capacity as well.

[Gabba]

Thank you Zaid for the WinSoft/France link. It is news for me, though they have finalized the Turkish version and they are still working on the Arabic version. I hope it will not take them for long because I am in a great need for the Arabic version of Filemaker.

[Magnus]

Hey, we were even noticed in Sweden

[macomar]

I hope they think of producing an arabic keyboard as well.

[MacUAE]

There IS already an Arabic Keyboard. Welcome to EmiratesMac

[macomar]

From Apple?

[Zaid Al Hilali]

From Apple?

Yes From Apple and for a long time نعم من أپل ومنذ زمن طويل

[macomar]

Can I please have the Apple item-number on that? Apple Nordic HQ claims it doesnt exist when I have tried to order one.