 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group AlKaatib An Arabic-English Word Processor Major Keary |
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AlKaatib is a Windows-based Arabic word processor with the capacity to work in Arabic simultaneously with a second language based on the Latin alphabet (English, French, German, and so on).
At the outset I must say that AlKaatib, in spite of being a good concept and easy to use, is not recommended because the copy protection system used appears to make it unstable. However, more about that later.
Translators
In the course of testing this package, something I was aware of in a general way was brought into sharp focus. In Australia and probably many other developed countries, the need for competent translators and interpreters has been largely filled by people who previously held professional positions in their respective home countries, but who have been unable to gain acceptance for those qualifications here.
In the case of some languages, such as Japanese, Australia has its own pool of linguists. The languages of non English speaking countries from which migrants and refugees have come in large numbers present special needs including, access to community services, the law, and commerce, each of which calls for the provision of an extensive network of translators and interpreters. It is a calling that does not usually attract students, those with the intellectual capacity to become sufficiently fluent look to more prestigious professions.
It is common to find someone who was, for example, a medical practitioner in his or her home country working here as an interpreter and translator. At the same time, that person has had little, if any, hands-on experience of computers. Computers are, however, an essential tool for translators.
Anwar, whose first language is Arabic, is a good example. He held a senior post in his home country but, even though aware of computer technology, had not become computer literate. He is not a computer aficionado, regarding them as a tool. Furthermore, he expects a software package, such as a word processor, and the computer to mesh together as a single instrument. It is called Plug and Play.
It may seem strange to some, but there are people who don't pursue computing as a recreational activity or a challenge. They expect software to be easy to install and use.
Arabic word processors
There are lots of Arabic-specific word processors, but most are unsuitable for translators who need a package capable of handling text in two languages within the same document.
Arabic and Hebrew share a "right to left" writing system and each has an alphabet that differs significantly in form from that used in languages of Western Europe. In both, the shape of many characters change according to position, initial, medial, or terminal. The program has to know which shape to select for a given keystroke, which can produce three glyphs (or forms) of a given character depending on whether it is the first letter in a word, the last letter, or somewhere in between.
There are other features that have to be catered for by the software, not the least of which is new characters introduced for the purpose of conveying the sound of foreign words when transliterated to Arabic. Older programs do not have the new characters.
There are also various keyboard layouts and the software should provide for user-selected configurations.
Windows
For quite a while Multilingual Scholar® (MLS) was the leading multiple language word, processing package. It was originally written to meet the needs of biblical students who required Hebrew, Greek, and a language with a Latin based alphabet. Coptic and other little-used languages are also used by biblical specialists.
MLS runs under DOS and, for its time, was brilliant, but for people who know little about computers and software the documentation is a problem.
Development of multilingual word processing software was inhibited by the text orientation of MS-DOS. Windows in it early days was seen by many MS-DOS users as a gimmick and Apple captured the multilingual market with its easy to use and flexible graphical user interface (GUI).
As Windows developed into a serious platform, programmers turned their attention to adapting its GUI to multi-lingual software. The result has been a surge of Windows-based products that are, in most cases, superior to pre-Windows packages and cheaper, but with some that are slow and sloppy in approach.
AlKaatib is fast and carries all the refinements one expects of an expensive package.
System overheads
As well as lack of speed, Windows-based software carries another penalty, high system overheads. AlKaatib uses some 8 MB of storage space, which might not seem much to computer aficionados who don't appreciate the position of working users. In the case of Anwar, his system was quite adequate a few of years ago: 386 processor, 2 MB memory, 80 MB hard drive, and one floppy drive (5.25-inch). Using Windows required a memory upgrade and an additional floppy drive.
Copy protection
Because of the nature of the multilingual market, pirating is rife and volume is low, many vendors employ copy protection methods. One of the most common is a actuator that plugs into the parallel port between computer and printer.
The advantage is that backup copies can be made and the software can be moved from machine to machine, but run on only one machine at a time. Installation is normal and no fancy disk swapping ritual has to be performed, which means there can be the same degree of fault tolerance as in ordinary software.
Another system has appeared on the scene. I am not sure who is responsible for it, they have every reason to remain anonymous, but it is effective. The user is entitled to a certain number of installations, three in the case of AlKaatib, and an installation can be saved back to the master disk. At least, that is the theory. The system prevents the making of back-up copies of the installation disk.
It involves, as far as I can ascertain, odd sized sectors and other "dungeon and dragon" stuff, like not writing some data to the FAT, to frustrate would-be copyists. My experience suggests the system results in an unstable system and creates unnecessary difficulties. If, for example, a user wants to install an extra hard drive, change the existing hard drive, or alter the system configuration in any way, it is necessary to uninstall the protected software first. Failure to do so corrupts the program.
It also leaves the user at the mercy of power failures, cross-linked files, bad sectors, and so on, any of which is likely to zap the protected software. Another problem is that such systems cannot recover from slight data corruption that might be sustained in transit, if a package with magnetic media happens to be placed on a conveyer belt immediately over a motor it can receive a fair dose of magnetic emission. In the case of normal software, or data, a repair facility such as provided by Norton, can rectify the problem. Not, however, with this protection system, which I have since seen on multilingual software from a different vendor.
AlKaatib
When I first saw the package I was taken aback by the skimpy documentation, just 44 pages of it, but Anwar, for the short periods of time we had the program running, found it easy to use. He was able to configure a keyboard for himself and find his way around most of AlKaatib's many features.
The first attempt to install seemed to go smoothly and I left Anwar to familiarise himself with the program before looking at it in depth.
That lasted for about four days. Disaster had struck. From his description it was clear that a brief hiccup in the electricity supply had caused cross-linked files. The cross linking appeared not to have affected the AlKaatib files, but nevertheless it refused to run. One explanation is that the program interpreted the event as a change of system configuration.
The cross-linked file problem was corrected, but I observed the hard disk, a mere 80 MB, was full. With what? Some kind friend had loaded an assortment of files that might have been handy, so the first task was to clean out the cupboards.
The system was restored and extraneous files removed, but we had lost the first of the three installations. There was nothing else but to use the second of the three wishes. All we received were disk read error messages. The installation disk was, it seemed, faulty. That was later confirmed and the vendors said they would replace the disks.
When the replacement arrived it was observed that the files had changed in size and number, which suggested more than a bad bit of data had caused the problem. When I attempted to install the new disks the process was incredibly slow. An hour had passed and I was still waiting for the first disk to load itself. Something was wrong, so the program was aborted and an attempt made to recover the installation.
I suspected the installation needed as much memory available as possible and TSRs were getting in first. Anwar has a technician friend who had configured the system, so he would be asked to get rid of a front end desktop, a menu program, and other extraneous programs.
In the meantime I tested the installation on two other machines. One was a 286 with a fast 400 MB hard drive. A successful installation and recovery was achieved, but running the program was beyond the system's capacity. Installation and retrieval on a 386 was successful.
By this time Anwar's 386 had been given a system facelift. Just to make sure there were no TSRs left lurking, a boot disk with a bare-bones DOS configuration was used to boot and load Windows. AlKaatib installed without a hitch. But there was still very little space left on the hard disk, certainly not enough to have working files.
A second copy of Windows, an Arabic version, had been installed, complete with all the games, wallpaper, and other sundry junk. The hard disk needed another clean out. Anwar should consult with his technician friend to decide what could be removed. It was recommended that he remove the wallpaper files etc. and the extra copy of Windows. A pretty simple task that should not disturb the AlKaatib installation.
Now, there is a bright yellow notice in the AlKaatib package that says, very clearly: if any disk compression software is to be used, uninstall AlKaatib first. You guessed it, DoubleSpace(R) was seen as the answer to the problem and the warning was overlooked. The AlKaatib installation was lost.
After all that drama DoubleSpace was removed, the wallpaper files were deleted, and there was enough space for AlKaatib to breathe. So what happened? A brief screen message: "Disk read error"!
Conclusion
There can be only one conclusion. If software has copy protection, particularly of the kind described, don't buy it. Actuators can be irritating, but at least the software retains is robustness.
AlKaatib is a good program, fast, has an extensive selection of fonts, modern phonetic characters, and several useful features, but it is not worth having while that kind of protection system is used.
It is not enough to blame users who do not make themselves fully conversant with computer operating systems and other technical aspects. Marketing of computer hardware and software creates an expectation of simple "plug and play."
The saga of Anwar's problems points to the need for users to develop some degree of awareness of the way their systems work. That is a matter of education. The problem is not helped by dealers who sell equipment and software without impressing on the buyer that "plug and play" may be an unrealistic expectation. Technicians should be aware that non standard or specialist software often has its own special requirements.
It is an area where specialist user groups should make themselves better known.
Reprinted from the April 1995 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
