DotProject is a PHP/MySQL-based project management portal, with a rich set of functions, perfect for collaboration within a small group. Most importantly, dotProject supports Unicode quite well.
Installation is quite straightforward, but dotProject is also available for quick setup from web hosts running cPanel/Fantastico.
Now, if only dotProject has better MS Project import capability, and the ability to customize reports...
2005-11-05
Filtering spam from Vietnam and elsewhere
The working assumption is that every email address known to an individual or corporate correspondent in Vietnam will be spammed. This could be due to maliciousness or plain ignorance.
To reliably get rid of such spam, use Gmail as a filter, by setting your email handling as follows:
To reliably get rid of such spam, use Gmail as a filter, by setting your email handling as follows:
- Set up the email account with your known email address to forward all your messages to a Gmail account,
- Set Gmail to forward messages to another email account, known only to you. Choose a user id which is difficult to guess at,
- Access your messages at this final email account, for instance, with a POP3 application such as Outlook Express or Thunderbird. (It is not recommended to POP a Gmail account because it is quite slow.)
Try it, and see spam reduced to almost zero.
Netscape Mail loses Unicode support
Netscape Mail has traditionally been one of the most Unicode-savvy web mail application.
Recently, with the switch to the AOL/AIM-based web mail interface, Netscape Mail no longer supports Unicode.
Yet another reason to switch to Gmail, Hotmail (with Rich Text ON, using Internet Explorer only), or Yahoo!Mail (with any of the language-specific interfaces).
A "Unicode Ding"™ for Netscape Mail!
Recently, with the switch to the AOL/AIM-based web mail interface, Netscape Mail no longer supports Unicode.
Yet another reason to switch to Gmail, Hotmail (with Rich Text ON, using Internet Explorer only), or Yahoo!Mail (with any of the language-specific interfaces).
A "Unicode Ding"™ for Netscape Mail!
2005-10-17
Cool (and ad-free) Vietnam websites
Websites in Vietnam tend to be strangely similar and boringly cluttered in design, content, and navigation. Usually, a quarter or more of space on each web page is devoted to advertisements.
Below is a rare breed of interesting websites:
Below is a rare breed of interesting websites:
which ... refreshingly "think different".
2005-09-03
RSS comes to Vietnam
After a long period of gestation, some news websites in Vietnam are starting to supply RSS feeds:
which had long been the only available Vietnamese newsfeed.
In conjunction with the new RSS feeds, Tuổi trẻ Online is also inaugurating a news portal:
much in the mold of the Yahoo! news portal. Registration is required for customization.
- http://www.tuoitre.com.vn/Tianyon/RssView.aspx (Vietnamese)
- http://www.vietnamnews.net/rss.php (English)
- http://www.nld.com.vn/rss/ (Vietnamese)
- http://www3.thanhnien.com.vn/RSS/ (Vietnamese)
which had long been the only available Vietnamese newsfeed.
In conjunction with the new RSS feeds, Tuổi trẻ Online is also inaugurating a news portal:
much in the mold of the Yahoo! news portal. Registration is required for customization.
2005-09-02
New LC Subject Headings: "Chữ Nôm"
As of 27 July 2005, the Library of Congress has added these new Subject Headings:
It remains to be seen when the Library of Congress online catalog will finally switch to Unicode, in order to fully support Vietnamese.
A "Unicode Ding"™ for LC!
- 150 Nom imprints [May Subd Geog] [sp2005004380]
- 150 Nom script [May Subd Geog] [sp2005004378]
- 450 UF Chu Nam
- 450 UF Chu Nom
- 551 BT Vietnam--Languages--Writing
It remains to be seen when the Library of Congress online catalog will finally switch to Unicode, in order to fully support Vietnamese.
A "Unicode Ding"™ for LC!
2005-08-11
Vietnamese comes to Gmail
Gmail has been localized to Vietnamese, as of 2005-08-10.
To enable Vietnamese, click on Settings, and choose Vietnamese for the language.
Compared to Yahoo!Mail, Gmail's Vietnamese is better read, though not by much.
To enable Vietnamese, click on Settings, and choose Vietnamese for the language.
Compared to Yahoo!Mail, Gmail's Vietnamese is better read, though not by much.
2005-08-05
For the sake of search, use Unicode...
... for Vietnamese!
All major search engines use Unicode to search Vietnamese text. So, it only makes sense that only Unicode should be used for Vietnamese to enable correct search results for now and the future.
All major search engines use Unicode to search Vietnamese text. So, it only makes sense that only Unicode should be used for Vietnamese to enable correct search results for now and the future.
Awkward Vietnamese on Yahoo!Mail
During a recent trip to Việt Nam, the universal reaction to the new Vietnamese version of Yahoo!Mail is a welcome one.
However, this is followed by comments that the language used therein is quite peculiar, does not correspond at all to common usage or syntax, and/or the translation must have done by someone who does not live in Việt Nam. For instance, the Vietnamese word order is noun adjective, yet "Yahoo! Thư" is used. It is suggested that the name should be left as "Yahoo! Mail" as this is already quite familiar.
Other problems include: inconsistency, verbosity, repetitiveness, archaic forms.
However, this is followed by comments that the language used therein is quite peculiar, does not correspond at all to common usage or syntax, and/or the translation must have done by someone who does not live in Việt Nam. For instance, the Vietnamese word order is noun adjective, yet "Yahoo! Thư" is used. It is suggested that the name should be left as "Yahoo! Mail" as this is already quite familiar.
Other problems include: inconsistency, verbosity, repetitiveness, archaic forms.
Errors with Google Groups Vietnamese
The Vietnamese localization of Google Groups is welcome, but a cursory examination shows just plain too many errors -- both spelling and grammar.
2005-07-16
For English, Unicode is ...
... like oxygen. It's there, and you use without a thought.
But, for Vietnamese, Unicode is like nước mắm [fish sauce]. You have to go out of your way to find and use it.
But, for Vietnamese, Unicode is like nước mắm [fish sauce]. You have to go out of your way to find and use it.
2005-07-09
Shareware fonts for non-profit organizations
In order to encourage the use of Unicode for Vietnamese publishing, a collection of fonts will be donated as shareware to non-profit organizations. This collection includes both serif and non-serif fonts, such as:
Requests may be sent to: vietual(at)gmail.com. A URL should be included for purpose of verification.
- Vtopia, based on Robert Slimbach's Utopia,
- Vsibon, based on Jan Tschichold's Sabon,
- ...
Requests may be sent to: vietual(at)gmail.com. A URL should be included for purpose of verification.
2005-07-08
Legacy means lost opportunities
Việt Mercury, the weekly Vietnamese edition of Knight-Ridder's San José Mercury News, in the heart of the Silicon Valley, continues to be the only newspaper to publish online without using Unicode.
The newspaper refuses to modernize to Unicode, despite repeated complaints from readers of the print version. This is a rather strange business attitude to take, because web searches in Vietnamese never turn up any items from the online newspaper. Just click here to search for the most common Vietnamese family name -- "Nguyễn" -- on the site: there are no Google results.
Wouldn't this translate into lost opportunities for people to reach the newspaper via search hits?
The newspaper refuses to modernize to Unicode, despite repeated complaints from readers of the print version. This is a rather strange business attitude to take, because web searches in Vietnamese never turn up any items from the online newspaper. Just click here to search for the most common Vietnamese family name -- "Nguyễn" -- on the site: there are no Google results.
Wouldn't this translate into lost opportunities for people to reach the newspaper via search hits?
Gibberish: Another legacy problem
The London Tube publishes excellent maps of its system in various languages, at: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tube/maps/.
There is a problem with its Vietnamese version, though: it's gibberish.
Both the Vietnamese graphics and PDF file are encoded in the 8-bit VNI character set, but rendered in a Unicode font.
There is a problem with its Vietnamese version, though: it's gibberish.
Both the Vietnamese graphics and PDF file are encoded in the 8-bit VNI character set, but rendered in a Unicode font.
Yahoo!Mail localized to Vietnamese
Since 2005-06-15, Yahoo!Mail has been localized to Vietnamese, and six additional languages, at http://mail.yahoo.com.vn, which is a full Unicode application. The main http://mail.yahoo.com isn't (yet), so doesn't handle Vietnamese very well.
If you already have a Yahoo! account, you may also switch your interface to Vietnamese, by going to: http://edit.yahoo.com/config/set_intl, and pick "Yahoo! Vietnam" in the "New Setting" dropbox. The Vietnamese interface, however, may not all the features available with English.
There's even a help page in rather classical Vietnamese: http://help.yahoo.com/l/vn/yahoo/mail/
If you already have a Yahoo! account, you may also switch your interface to Vietnamese, by going to: http://edit.yahoo.com/config/set_intl, and pick "Yahoo! Vietnam" in the "New Setting" dropbox. The Vietnamese interface, however, may not all the features available with English.
There's even a help page in rather classical Vietnamese: http://help.yahoo.com/l/vn/yahoo/mail/
2005-06-12
2005-06-11
2005-02-25
Triangles
Watch this space for triangles of all sorts:
- Bermuda Triangle,
- Vietnamese triangle [tgvn],
- Japanese triangle,
- project triangle,
- ...
2005-02-10
New online tool for Hán-Nôm research
A welcome addition for looking up Hán-Nôm characters is the electronic Tự điển chữ Nôm trích dẫn [Annotated Nôm Dictionary] available at http://www.viethoc.com/hannom/tdnom_beta.php (beta version).
This very useful tool is a Java applet and does require, however, Java 1.5. Instructions, in Vietnamese, are available onsite.
(If you don't already know, another Nôm Lookup Tool can be found here: http://nomfoundation.org/nomdb/lookup.php.)
This very useful tool is a Java applet and does require, however, Java 1.5. Instructions, in Vietnamese, are available onsite.
(If you don't already know, another Nôm Lookup Tool can be found here: http://nomfoundation.org/nomdb/lookup.php.)
2005-02-07
What's next with chữ Nôm?
The First International Nôm Conference was held in Hà Nội in November 2004. It is the culmination of the efforts over more than a decade in computerizing the Vietnamese chữ Nôm script and getting the first 9,299 chars into the Unicode international character standard, as of version 3.1.
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