Windows IME almost unusable

[Ethan Blanton]

Gerrit Sangel spake unto us the following wisdom:
> I’ve experienced the following severe bug under Windows (somehow
> strangely, it works fine under Linux, even though I suspected exactly
> otherwise)

As others have explained, if you have having a problem with IME
interactions with Gtk+, that is a Gtk+ bug, and not a Pidgin bug.  We
tell you this not to pass the buck (although passing the buck is
certainly nice, in this case -- CJK input is a right nightmare), but
because we have neither the expertise nor the time to fix it.  I
suspect, in fact, that there is a way to "fix" it without "fixing"
Gtk+; that is, I suspect a configuration problem, rather than a Gtk+
limitation.  I don't know that for sure, though.

> The bug is now the following:
> 
> If I type in a word, I would expect the pre-commited string to appear
> in the ordinary text field, just like when I type German or so. If I
> enter Space, a popup-field would appear and I could choose the
> appropriate character. This works fine in all QT apps under Linux and
> in every windows app I know (except gtk apps) and also in Firefox. It
> is almost unusable in every GTK app under linux, and in many gtk apps
> on Windows, too. In GTK, the pre-commited string often does not appear
> in the text field. It is somewhere on the desktop and you first have
> to search it. Thus, it is almost impossible to write a longer sentence
> convenient in the field. I would think this makes Pidgin unusable for
> chatting in CJK, because it is _extremely_ inconvenient to type that
> way.

I don't know why you say that Gtk+ apps under Linux have this problem,
they certainly do not.  In X11, XIM can present their input as
'OnTheSpot', 'OffTheSpot', 'OverTheSpot', or 'Root' (and maybe
others).  'Root' and 'OffTheSpot' behave as the suboptimal way you are
describing, in subtly different ways.  My Gtk+ apps, however, are not
like this -- the preedit string appears directly in place, with the
alternate selection dropdown immediately adjacent.  If yours do not
behave in this fashion, something is not right.  Configuring this
correctly is out of the scope of this mailing list, but the
documentation for your input method should cover it.  Note that UIM,
SCIM, and several other "modern" input methods have their own Gtk+
input modules, and do not have to use the antiquated XIM protocol.
Configuring your input method to use one of these may be helpful.

As to Windows ... I can't help you, there.  I find it hard to believe
that Gtk+ IME interaction is just plain broken, so hopefully someone
on this list will have more information.  In either event, the Pidgin
team is unlikely to be able to either fix or assist you with this
problem.

Ethan

-- 
The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws [that have no remedy
for evils].  They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor
determined to commit crimes.
		-- Cesare Beccaria, "On Crimes and Punishments", 1764
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