ಕನ್ನಡ Inscript keyboard ನಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆಲವು ಚಿಹ್ನೆಗಳ ಕೊರತೆ - ಹೇಗೆ ಸರಿಪಡಿಸಬಹುದು?

ನಮಸ್ಕಾರಾ,

ನನ್ನ ಗೆಳೆಯ ಸುನಿಲ್ (ನನ್ನಿ) Inscript keyboard ದಾಗ ಟೈಪ್ ಮಾಡಲಿಕ್ಕೆ ಕಲಿಸಿ ಸುಮಾರು ಮೂರು ವರ್ಷ ಆತು. ಅವತ್ತಿನಿಂದ ಕನ್ನಡ ಟೈಪ್ ಮಾಡೂದರಿಂದ ಸಿಕ್ಕ ಮಜಾ ಅಷ್ಟಿಷ್ಟಲ್ಲ.
ಇದರ ಜೂಡಿ ಈ keyboard layout ದಾಗ ಒಂದಿಷ್ಟು ಕೊರತೆ ಕಂಡು ಬಂದಾವ.  ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಏನಪಾ ಅಂದ್ರ, ಕೆಲವೊಂದು ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯವಾದ ಚಿಹ್ನೆಗಳು ಇಲ್ಲೇ-ಇಲ್ಲಾ. ಅದನ್ನ ಟೈಪ್ ಮಾಡಬೇಕಂದ್ರ English keyboard layout ಗೆ ಹೋಗೆ ಮಾಡಬೇಕು. ಇದರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ನಾನು CDAC ಅವರಿಗೆ ಒಂದು ಈ-ಮೇಲ್ ಬರದೆ. ಏನರೇ ಮಾಡಲಿಕ್ಕೆ ಆಗ್ತದೇನು ಅಂತ. ಅದರ ಜೂಡಿ ಇಲ್ಲಿನವರಿಗೂ ಕೇಳುಣು ಅಂತ ಈ ಚರ್ಚೆ ವಿಷಯ ಶುರು ಮಾಡಿದೆ. CDAC ಯಾಕಂದ್ರ ಈ keyboard ಅನ್ನ ನಮ್ಮ ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ವತ್ತಿಯಿಂದ ಅವರೇ ತಯಾರ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದಂತ ಓದಿದೆ. ತಪ್ಪಿದ್ರ ಹೇಳ್ರಿ, ಬ್ಯಾರೇ ಯಾರಿಗೆ ಕಳಸಬೇಕು ಅವರಿಗೆ ಕಳಸೂನಂತ. ನಾ CDAC ಅವರಿಗೆ ಕಳಸಿದ ಈ-ಮೇಲ್ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆಳಗದ. ಅದು ಇಂಗ್ಲಿಷ್ ದಾಗದ. ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಹೊಂದಾಣಿಕೆ ಮಾಡ್ಕೋರಿ ಈ ಸಲಾ. :)

ಇದು ಓದಿದ ಮ್ಯಾಲೇ, ಇದಕ್ಕ ಈಗಾಗಲೇ ಪರಿಹಾರ ಏನರೇ ಬಂದಿದ್ರ ತಿಳಸ್ರಿ. ಇಲ್ಲಾ, ಪರಿಹಾರ ಸಿಗುಹಂಗ ಏನರೇ ಮಾಡುದಿದ್ರ ಅದನ್ನೂ ತಿಳಸ್ರಿ, ಪ್ರಯತ್ನ ಮಾಡಿ ನೋಡಬಹುದು. ಇದು ಹಂಗೇ ಒಂದೆರಡು ದಿನದಾಗ ಆಗು ಕೆಲಸಾ ಏನಲ್ಲಾ ಅಂತ ಅನಸ್ತದ. ಆದ್ರು ಇದಕ್ಕ ಪರಿಹಾರ ಸಿಕ್ರ ಭಾರಿ ಛೊಲೋ ಅಂತ ನನಗ ಅನಸ್ತದ. ನಿಮ್ಮ ಅಭಿಪ್ರಾಯ?

ಇನ್ನ ಮುಂದ ಈ-ಮೇಲದಾಗಿನ ವಿಷಯ
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I have been using Indic keyboard layout for typing Kannada text for a few years now and the experience has been great. I thank CDAC for designing this keyboard.

However, a major shortcoming that I have noticed is the lack of keys for commonly used symbols like --
: -- Used for smileys in online conversations
? -- Question mark
" -- Quotations - mark begin and end
/ -- Used to show alternatives. Example : A/B means A or B.
% - Percentage
+ and = -- Very much needed to write any numeric statements, specially financial statements

Currently a user has to switch to english keyboard to type these symbols, which in fact are regularly and widely used in Indic languages, without any other local/vernacular alternatives.

Is this a design decision, to not to have keys for these symbols? Or were these dropped during the implementation by the software vendors?

If this is a design decision, I have a few suggestions which might help bring these symbols.

Looking at the implementation on Kannada Indic keyboard on Windows 7 I see the following options:

1) Numeric keys 1 and 2 are unused with "Shift". They can host two of these symbols.
2) Numeric keys 3 and 4 with "Shift" are redundant and can be achieved without dedicated keys for them.
      --- Key 3 with "Shift" is - ್ರ -- when combined with a "vyanjana" we get ಕ್ರ -- which can be achieved without a dedicated key in the form of -- ಕ್ + ರ = ಕ್ರ
      --- Key 4 with "Shift" is - ರ್ -- which can be easily achieved without a dedicated key - ರ - ಅ = ರ್
3) Numeric keys 6, 7 and 8 with "Shift" are redundant and can be achieved without dedicated keys for them.
      --- Key 6 with "Shift" is - ತ್ರ -- which can be easily achieved without a dedicated key - ತ್ + ರ = ತ್ರ
      --- Key 7 with "Shift" is - ಕ್ಷ -- which can be easily achieved without a dedicated key - ಕ್ + ಷ = ಕ್ಷ
      --- Key 6 with "Shift" is - ಶ್ರ -- which can be easily achieved without a dedicated key - ಶ್ + ರ = ಶ್ರ
4) The keys  "v" and "b", which represent ನ and ವ -- are not associated with anything when used with "Shift"
5) The key "/" which represents ಯ is not associated with anything when used with "Shift" and also happens to the key with "?" in the English keyboard when used with "Shift". This would be an apt key for ?.

That is a total of 10 available key slots for the six symbols I have mentioned, with one exact match (question mark).

Apart from this the right Alt button has special meaning (shown as AtlGr on the on screen keyboard in Windows 7) and is only used with numeric keys and 3 other non-numeric keys leaving, pretty much the entire keyboard for use.  This will enable us to use the symbols in their existing positions on a regular English keyboard and reduce any confusion and ease the learning curve.

Can there be any effort from CDAC to bring in these changes and help more adoption of Inscript keyboard?

Is there a different entity who has to be contacted or informed about this?

Or is this an implementation glitch which has to be taken up with the corresponding software vendors?