Skip to main content

Revolution in Bangla typing

I have long been waiting to learn to type in Bangla. Being brought up in Bangladesh in the earlier part of my life, I have always held a soft corner in my heart for the Bangla language. I was looking for typing software which would allow me to express my thoughts in Bangla.

I went to Dhaka and went through the shops in the famous BCS Computer City in Agargaon. The only typing software I could find was based on ‘Bijoy’ keyboard. ‘Bijoy’ keyboard is a very complex keyboard layout which would’ve taken me a long time to learn and master. I was looking for something quicker.

Few days ago, I just randomly did a search on Google on Bangla keyboards and discovered the ‘Masterpiece’. It’s the ‘Avro’ Keyboard by Omicronlab. It was available for free and I downloaded it from the link from www.download.com.

I was really happy to find out that the software follows English (Roman) phonetic typing rather than using a new keyboard layout. This was really helpful for me as I didn’t have to learn a new keyboard layout to type in Bangla. The keyboard provides unicode compliant typing which enables it's users to type in Bangla in virtually anywhere on the web.

I will give an example of how easy it is to type in Bangla using ‘Avro’.

If I want to type ‘আমার’ (‘Amar’ which means ‘Mine/My’ in Bangla), all I have to type in 'Avro' is ‘Amar’ using the English keyboard layout and it would bring up the Bangla word ‘আমার’. So, I was literally typing in Bangla using my English typing skills. The ‘Avro’ keyboard layout is followed by a very informative help section which takes the beginners through the start up information and ‘how to’s.

To me, the free keyboard layout has revolutionised the Bangla typing. I have started to write my blog in Bangla. Few other websites including ‘Global Voices’ have been using the keyboard layout, enabling the Bangla bloggers from around the world to blog in Bangla.

The latest version (4.5.1) of ‘Avro’ is heavily loaded with features but some of these could be made optional as not too many people would use them anyway. Also, the software, in its process of evolution, will be able focus more on fonts, skins, converter etc. in future.

Users of 'Avro' would require Internet Explorer 7 or higher and/or Firefox 2 or higher to view the Bangla script online.

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!
January 02, 2010 8:47 pm
Anonymous said…
Amiable dispatch and this post helped me alot in my college assignement. Thank you seeking your information.
February 12, 2010 9:41 pm
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Noy Nombor Bipod Shonket: Film Review

Another venture by renowned Humayun Ahmed. The film is a 100% meaningless movie. But this is not a drawback of the movie. Although the movie is completely meaningless, it does bring a lot of laughter. Good movie to kill idle time. Rating 6 out of 10. হূমায়ুন আহমেদের চলচ্চিত্র 'নয় নম্বর বিপদ সংকেত' তাঁর পরিচালিত অগনিত অর্থহীন ছবিগুলোর মধ্যে অন্যতম। অর্থহীন হলেও ছবিটি দর্শকদের মনে হাসির খোরাক জোগাবে। প্রথমদিকে ছবির গল্প খুবই এলোমেলোভাবে শুরু হলেও ছবিটি শেষ পর্যন্ত্য উপভোগ্য হয়েছে।
124 comments
Read more

দুরের মানুষ

ধারাবাহিক নাটক ‘রমিজের আয়না’র থিম গান এর কথা আমার ব্লগ এ উপস্থিত করলাম আমার প্রিয় পাঠকদের জন্য। এ গানটির কথা আমার খুবই প্রিয়। ভাগ্যের খোঁজে ঘরছাড়া সব মানুষের স্বপ্নের কথা নিয়ে এ গান। দুরের মানুষ আসে অচেনা শহর যন্ত্র নগরে কাটে অবাক প্রহর অবুঝ চোখেতে তার কত না স্বপন অজানা বাসনা মনে গহীন গোপন একাকী পথে হাঁটে সে পাশে চলে ছায়া তার বন্ধু তো নয় অচেনা মুখের সারি ভীরুমন ভয় স্বপ্ন ছোঁয়ার সিড়ি দূরে সরে রয় দুরের মানুষ চেনা নিজেকে হারায় অচেনা নিজেকে দেখে চেনা আয়নায় The theme song 'Durer Manush' of drama series 'Romizer Ayna' is one of my favourites from Habib Wahid's voice. It speaks of the people who have left home for a better life. Transliteration of the song follows: Durer manush ashe ochena shohor Jontro nogore kate obak prohor Obujh chokhete taar koto na shwapan Ojana bashona mone gohin gopon Ekaki pothe haate she pashe chole chaya tar Bondhu to noy Ochena mukher shari virumon voi Shwapno chowar shiri dure shore roy Durer manush chena nijeke haray Ochena nijeke dekhe chena...
1 comment
Read more

Made in Bangladesh: Film Review

Directed by Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, the film ' Made In Bangladesh ' tried to depict some of the social constraints in Bangladesh. The film started with ambiguous objective at the beginning. The first 20 minutes of the film didn’t help to build the plot at all. But it took a good shape as soon as the main character portrayed by Zahid Hasan took over the DC’s office. The film brought out the some of the worst characteristics of Bangladeshi people from different walks of life. It was an average movie, but it certainly was a good initiative to make a movie with social commitment.
3 comments
Read more