
              =================================================
                          -=* Convert::Ethiopic *=-
                Tools for working with Ethiopic text in Perl
                           -----------------------



README file for Convert-Ethiopic distribution:

	This package was originally developed as an interface to the LibEth
	programming library for Ethiopic text and information processing.  The 
	Ethiopic module is not a comprehensive interface to the LibEth library but
	the minimum to support the "LiveGeez" module which is an implementation of
	the LiveGe'ez Remote Processing Protocol.

	The modules Ethiopic::Cstocs and Ethiopic::Time are intended primarily as
	services to the LiveGe'ez module and as such expect a LiveGeez::Request
	object as an argument (though can work with any object containing the
	expected hash keys and values).

	In future versions of the Ethiopic::Cstocs module should apply the same
	type of interface as used in the Cz::Cstocs module from the Cstool package
	which the Ethiopic::Convert package is loosely based on.


	Module Ethiopic::System:

		Creates an Ethiopic "system" object that holds conversion settings.

	Module Ethiopic::Cstocs:

		Implements an object for various character set code conversions.
		Character set systems are specified by a canonical name specified
		in the LiveGe'ez Remote Processing Protocol.  Optional secondary
		conversion give the number of conversion possibilities at more
		than 68x9x2.

	Module Ethiopic::Time:

		Implements an object for various calendar services.  The most
		useful methods are EthiopicToGregorian, GregorianToEthiopic, and
		isEthiopianHoliday.

	Program edate.pl:

		Gives you the current date and time with Ethiopic formatting
		in the languages Amharic and Tigrigna.  Has oodles of options
		that can be combined together.  See -? you will need an Ethiopic
		font and a terminal supporting UTF8.

	Program enumber.pl:

		Converts numbers from English to Ethiopic from standard input.

	Program estring.pl:

		Converts strings between Ethiopic encoding systems.   Will
		emulate the "cstocs" and "g2" utilities more closely in the future.

	[ NOTE the .pl demo files require the LiveGeez modules and must be hand
	  installed for the time being. ]

Installation:
    LibEth is required:  http://libeth.netpedia.net

	Download the tar.gz, unpack it, change to the Convert-Ethiopic-*
	directory. Then do

		perl Makefile.PL
		make
		make test
		make install

Available:
	ftp://ftp.cs.indiana.edu/pub/fidel/perl-unicode/ and from your
	favorite CPAN site in the authors/id/D/DY/DYACOB/ directory.
	
Copyright: (c) 1999 Daniel Yacob, dmulholl@cs.indiana.edu. All rights
	reserved. This library is free software; you can redistribute
	it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.
