Installation
To install, drag the file Devanagari Typing Shikshak on to your hard disk. Make sure that the Indian Language Kit is installed prior to launching the tutor.
Minimal System Requirements
* Macintosh Computer (PowerPC or 68K)
* Indian Language Kit 1.0
* Monitor capable of 640 x 480 pixels or better
Features
The Shikshak teaches you to type using the Inscript keyboard (default keyboard layout for Indian languages).
The Shikshak organizes lessons in "practice sessions" and "drills." Before you begin a lesson, read the introduction which describes the keys, their location and the fingers you need to use to type them. The Shikshak shows a preview of the key to be typed. The key is shown highlighted. If the key to be typed is a shifted one, shift is also highlighted.
Once you have completed practicing keystrokes, you will be shown words to type, formed with the keys you have learned. The Shikshak beeps when an incorrect key is entered.
Once the drill is complete, a dialog box showing the accuracy and speed during the lesson is displayed.
Use the "View" menu option to navigate between the lessons. The "Next" and "Prev" menu items take you to the next or previous lesson from the current one. The "Go To..." menu item allows you direct access to any lesson of Shikshak.
Use the navigation buttons, "Next Lesson" and "Prev Lesson" (same as Next and Prev menu option), to go to the next or previous lesson from the current one. The "Start Drill" button ends the practice and starts the drill. Choose "Restart Drill" to start the drill again.
The keyboard shown in the Shikshak depicts the Apple Extended keyboard. Some keys are positioned differently on various Apple keyboards. One such key is the backslash (\\) key, positioned above the return key in the Extended keyboard. It is situated to the right of the space bar on Apple standard keyboards.
The Inscript keyboard provides various conjuncts on the shifted number row of the keyboard. The conjuncts are covered in the lessons which teach the required keys. These conjuncts can be typed using the individual letters which make them or using the shifted number key directly.
Extensions Compatibility
The Typing Shikshak has known incompatibilities with the Aaron extension. The most prominent is the disappearing of text in the drills. This incompatibility is not consistent.
Keys not covered by the Shikshak
Some keys of the Inscript keyboard have not been covered in this Shikshak. These keys are used in southern scripts or are not used very often in Devanagari. These letters, as per their ISCII reference are:
Vowel Sign O (southern scripts)
Vowel Sign AWE (Devanagari script)
Vowel Sign E (southern scripts)
Vowel O (southern scripts)
Vowel AYE (Devanagari script)
Vowel Sign AYE (Devanagari script)
Vowel RI
Consonant NGA
Vowel AWE (Devanagari script)
Consonant Hard Ra (southern script)
Vowel E (southern script)
Consonant NA (Tamil)
Consonant ZHA (Tamil & Malayalam)
Consonant Hard LA
Consonant JYA (Bengali, Assamese & Oriya)