Getting Hebrew Up and Running
Originally Posted by Zion :
Is there anyway you could get a script to line up the vowels for easier reading? Other than that Thank you and keep up the good work!
Could be several reasons why your vowels aren't aligned:
(1) You are not running a Windows Operating system. Perhaps you have a MAC or some other computer. A MAC should work (I think it comes with Safari browser) but you may have to configure your OSX or Browser to display the webpage fonts correctly. Someone else has done so successfully so I know it can be done.
MACs come with ARIAL Hebrew and CORSIVA Hebrew UNICODE fonts (from Adobe?), and should display the pages using those fonts.
(2) You are running a version of Linux. Linux supports Hebrew fonts but you have to get instructions on how to install and activate Hebrew fonts and support. Linux doesn't support the .eot font embedding that I used for those pages. Perhaps it can, but I don't know about that. Consult the forum for the version of Linux that you are using.
(3) Your Operating System doesn't support Unicode (eg. Win 98/SE/ME). There may be patches or extra free fonts you can download and install, such as TITUS Cyberbit Basic, Code2000, Ezra SIL (SR), etc. Then either upgrade your IE browser to IE6, or install Mozilla Firefox (see below).
(4) Your Operating System doesn't have a default Unicode Font (e.g. Arial MS, or Times New Roman). Win2000 only has a couple of Unicode fonts included, and I think they are Microsoft Updatesonline or part of one of the service packs.
(5) You haven't got or aren't using an up-to-date or compatible browser. (e.g. an old version of Firefox/Mozilla/Safari etc.) Upload the latest version of your favourite browser.
If you have IE6 DON'T upgrade to IE7. IE6 works.
(6) You haven't configured your browser properly to read and display UNICODE.
For IE6 for instance, go to the TOOLS pulldown menu and select Internet Options at the bottom. A Popup Dialogue box appears. On the first GENERAL 'Tab' (layer) near the bottom you'll see a button "Fonts", so click that. A new box opens and you need to select NEW TIMES ROMAN, ARIAL, (or TITUS Cyberbit Basic / code2000 if you've installed them) or some other UNICODE FONT for your default WEB PAGE FONT. (the other font selection doesn't matter). It goes without saying that you need to have at least one UNICODE FONT installed. Windows2000 etc. comes with a few.
In Mozilla Firefox the action is similar: TOOLS Pulldown menu opens Dialog Box: Choose Times New Roman, Arial, Palatino Linotype, or some other UNICODE font that has a good Hebrew characterset. You may have to click on the 'Advanced' button to fix one other thing: the option "Allow pages to choose their own fonts, instead of my selections above" THIS BOX MUST BE CHECKED TO ALLOW THE HEBREW FONT I have specified (FrankRuehl).
Then you should be good to go.
I found that only TITUS Cyberbit Basic could handle the vowels in IE6, as a default webfont, only TITUS Cyberbit Basic, Code2000, and Ezra could handle Cantor marks, and only FrankRuehl (an MS font) handled the dreaded 'dotted lamed'.
For IE6 I have "TITUS Cyberbit Basic" as my default Webpage Font. You can download it free.
For Firefox 2.0 I have "Times New Roman" as the default webpage font. This doesn't display vowels as a default font, but with the box checked Firefox allows FrankRuehl to be used, which is a font on my system. This comes with win2000 (+service packs).
I am running Win2000 as an OS on at least one machine which works fine and displays Hebrew correctly in both browsers. I have International Language Support installed (Hebrew, Greek etc.).
In summary, you need a windows2000/XP/Vista and you need IE6 and at least one of Times New Roman, Arial, or Palatino Linotype UNICODE fonts set as your default webfont. You should also have the FrankRuehl font on your system. It is the only one I tested that handles the "dotted lamed".
On a windows2000/XP/Vista system you can also use Firefox 2.0 if you have a FrankRuehl font onboard and you check the 'allow' box (see above).
I don't know how to get Hebrew to display on a MAC but I'm told it can be done.
If you are running Linux you must download and install some Hebrew fonts, and install some kind of multilanguage support, but I don't know about that, and each version of Linux will be different in its support and functionality.
If anyone knows about MACs or Linux we'd like to hear from them.
Peace,
Nazaroo