Burmese Language Kit for OS X Help

What’s New in the Burmese Language Kit for OS X

Version 2.0

Because this version incorporates some important changes, it's very important that you manually remove the core files installed by any earlier version of the kit. For more details on which files to remove prior to installation of this version, please read this page.

Beginning with this version, the format for several of the files included with the kit have changed.

Although the font format hasn't actually changed, we're now using a specific structure for the font tables and the extension .ttf. This structure allows us to eventually support Windows and OS X in the same font file.

The other format that has changed is that of the keyboard file. In previous versions, two separate files were used, one for the icon displayed and another for the logic of the keyboard. The new .rsrc format uses a single file for both items.

This version also represents typographic modifications to the kit that involve specific combinations of characters:
1. Proper support has been added for the sequence /-ndr-/ particularly when followed by MYANMAR VOWEL SIGN E [U+1031]. Texts that use this sequence do not require editing.
2. Proper support has been added for the sequence /-ttv-/ particularly when followed by MYANMAR VOWEL SIGN E [U+1031]. Texts that use this sequence do not require editing.
3. Some base consonants followed by /-r-/ displayed an incorrect form when the vowels /i/ and /ii/ occurred in the same syllable — this has been corrected. Texts that use this sequence do not require editing.
4. Specific sequences involving the medials /-hw-/ and /-hy-/ were not properly supported and version 1.0 required users to type these sequences in the wrong order to achieve the correct display. This has been fixed but users will need to rekey any such sequences since they are not supported. Visually, it can be difficult to see this because the change in shapes is not obvious at smaller sizes.
The Help files for this version of the Burmese Language Kit have been moved to the website so that we can provide better and more frequent updates.

The position of the traditional width-bearing space and the zero-width space that can be used to separate Burmese words have been swapped on the SPACEBAR key. This remapping causes the normal function of the SPACEBAR (in conjunction with other keys to switch scripts) to behave as expected. A high resolution PDF file of the Burmese-QWERTY keyboard layout can now be downloaded directly from our web site.

Version 1.0

This premier version of the Burmese Language Kit for OS X utilizes Unicode and is specifically designed to work with OS X 10.2 and higher. If you need a version that works with Macintosh OS 8.6, please visit our web site. We do not currently provide support for versions 9.x or 10.1 through 10.1.5.

This kit provides support for the modern Burmese language. And because we support every glyph included in Unicode, you’ll be able to create all types of Burmese documents. With the right software, you can use the Burmese Language Kit for OS X to create bilingual or multilingual documents, emails and more.

This Help file will provide the necessary information to use the kit properly and should serve as a reference whenever you have questions about the functionality of the Burmese Language Kit for OS X. It cannot teach the Burmese language or the Burmese script and it does not attempt to explain grammatical rules. It is expected that all users will have adequate experience and knowledge of the Burmese script.