Labelling Vai Keyboards (was: Bopomofo keyboards in Taiwan)

--- In qalam@yahoogroups.com, "Peter T. Daniels" <grammatim@...> wrote:

> Michael Everson wrote:

What has this got to do with Bopmofo keyboards in Taiwan?

> Seems like it might be cheaper to manufacture lots of identical keycaps
> than 80 or so different keycaps as on a standard keyboard.

Identical keycaps would be no use at all. You won't eliminate
two-fingered typists, so give them something useful to look at. Given
the privileged status of ASCII, better QWERTY then nothing. Dual
Arabic/Roman labelling might be better - a set of 'pan-African
keyboard' _markings_ also makes sense if such exists. What sells in
Nigeria?

> > I can type all 340 characters in my Vai +
> > extended punctuation set, on a 47-key keyboard,
> > just fine.
>
> And you're going to "engrave" all 340 symbols on the keycaps?

Michael suggested a wallchart when I worried about the practicality of
key stickers. For the full set it might be two charts, but he already
has the basics in Figure 1 of the proposal. Perhaps the wallcharts
for Michael's keys should indicate the positions of the keys as well
as labelling - am I advising on how to suck eggs?

Richard.