1) Can you start by writing your name in UNICODE?   (And don’t use a Hexadecimal Number Generator, we will know!)

Fesseha

Can you say 0x134D0x12250x1213 three times quick?

Abass

Abass = 12A0 1263 1235,  alamnehe = 12A0 120B 121D 1290 1205 Note: Space was introduced for readability.

Samuel

Well, you guys asked for it. So here we go: 0x12230x12190x12D40x120D

Michael

Michael Everson

2) Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Fesseha

I loved to write when I was a kid, and I still have that interest.  When I left Ethiopia, typewriters were unavailable to me and so that is how I got involved with Ethiopic software.  I produced the first Ethiopian word-processor in DOS, called Dashen, in 1985 (even went and demonstrated in Ethiopia).  

Abass

I hold a BS in computer science and currently I do teach computer science in community college. I have done a number of projects including EthTeX, WashRa (commercial software), and now "Senamirmir for Technology", a project that is designed for a free exchange of knowledge, and experience.

Samuel

Nothing much to be said. Except to mention that I am not a typical Seleda-500 even though I have been working on it for sometime! I still don’t use “bold” and “italics” when I write Amharic and Oromigna texts unlike the true-bred Seleda-500 crowd. But still working on it.

Michael

I am Irish national representative to the technical committee responsible for ISO/IEC 10646, and am one of the principle authors and editors of the Unicode Standard. I am an expert in writing systems and a font designer.

3) For those of us who still stand in awe at the sight of the typewriter (which happens to be the best invention next to Ajax samuna), can you try and explain UNICODE in layman terms??  Why should the average Gutema and Abebech care?

Fesseha

UNICODE is a standard so that all letters in all written languages in the world have a consistent computer "address" or code so they can be universally communicated.   It is important because it allows all Ethiopic software to be consistent.  What is written in one software package can be read by all others.  Additionally, it is important because it allows the implementation of these "addresses" in hardware, i.e. you can now have cell-phones, Palm Pilots, and other devices manufactured with the capability to consistently draw Ethiopic characters.  So your friend could send you e-mail in Ethiopic written on a word-processor, and you could read it on your cell-phone.

Abass

When we enter a letter, a computer needs to store it using a name made up of a numeric name. This numeric name must be unique for each letter or character. For a given character set, assigned numeric values are referred as encoding and the current widely used encoding allows only 256 character to be defined. For a script such as Ethiopic, this is insufficient.  Unicode overcomes this limitation allowing the world script to be represented.

Samuel

Not unless Gute has a legal case at the Lideta Court and he decides to pay the typists at Addis Ketema Tech to write-up his 35-page long case using Washra software only to have his AAU Law school going cousin Abera tell him that he can’t read and edit the file using his Brana software.   UNICODE sets a standard where the documents written by the two programs will use the same encoding procedures and hence will be compatible.

Michael

Unicode (which should NOT be written in all caps) is a standard that is supposed to encode all the letters of all the alphabets of all the languages in the world, so that all computer users can type and print and transmit data in their preferred language or languages.

4) UNICODE ... how far-fetched a reasoning would it be if we tried to compare it to UNISEX?

Fesseha

They are both popular in California.

Abass

It seems UNISEX has been practiced since human..., but Unicode is beginning to hold a bit of ground.

Samuel

It may interest you to know that there are certain fonts referred to as “unisex” fonts. That way, perhaps, you may find remote connection between the two.

5) Why did you get involved? (i.e. mn qurT arguawachihu new?)

Fesseha

VOA had asked Xerox to work on word processing capabilities for non-European languages.  This was being headed by Dr. Joe Becker at Xerox's Palo Alto center, and he wanted to talk to someone about Ethiopic.  He contacted me because of my experience in creating my word-processor.  And much of the original UNICODE proposal for Ethiopic was based on our work.

Abass

  It was at the beginning of 1993, during a discussion on encoding problems at Cleo mailing list, when the news about a draft proposal by Unicode to standardize Ethiopic was raised. I think it was Fesseha Atlaw, from HP, who brought the news. After reading the draft, I wrote an article on Ethiopia Science & Technology column attacking the shortcomings. Gradually, the Committee for Standardization of Ethiopian Script (CSES) was formed. It is safe to say that this committee's contribution was the pillar of the current Ethiopic Unicode standard.

Samuel

We had started this IT professional organization called EthCITA at that time and we were looking for projects where we could make some contribution. When the talk about UNICODE came up in an e-mail list, we took the chance to be part of the effort. For me, that was the motivation and how I got involved in that modest work.

Michael

I began because there were some Irish requirements which were not met by Unicode 1.0. But I've always been interested in fonts and alphabets.

6) How many people were involved in the effort?  Can you let us know who they were  and their role?

Fesseha

After the initial proposal by Joe Becker and I, there were two main groups that worked on modifying and improving the original proposal.  There was Abass' group (I believe about eight people) that worked on character definitions, and there was another group with Daniel Yacob which brought in people involved in Ethiopic computing standardization.

Abass

a)First and foremost, the Unicode technical committee led by Joe Becker from Xerox.

b)Committee for standardization  of Ethiopian Script (CSES); Fesseha Atlaw, Takele Awdew, Tsehay Demeke, Yitna Firdyiwek, Girum Ketema, Theodros Kidane, Samuel Kinde, Terefe Ras-Work, Teshager Tesfaye, Tadesse Tsegaye, Matewos Worku and Abass Alemneh.

c)The FFY Group Daniel Yacob, Yitna Firdyiwek, Yonas Fisseha

d)There were individuals who made contribution at various degrees

Samuel

There were as many as nine people involved in that particular project. But the UNICODE project did not end there. There were two or three additional sets of improvements and extensions suggested and accepted. Ted Kidane who did logistics work, Tekle Awdew and the folks in AAU like Dawit Bekele, Ahmed, Dr. Dida and Ato Baye Yimam come to mind.

Michael

Joe Becker, Michael Everson, Rick McGowan, Hugh McGregor Ross, and Daniel Yacob, were some of the ones who were really pushing to encode Ethiopic sooner rather than later.

7) Was it Mahmoud or Beethoven playing when you UNIcoded nights away?

Fesseha

Can I have another choice? How about Spyro Gyra?

Abass

It was Kitaro--new age music

Samuel

Abass and the others who did most of the Unicode thinking can answer that. For me, it was the huge telephone bills that I remember most.

Michael

Vangelis, J. S. Bach, Philip Glass, Arvo Pärt, etc.

8) How were you able to get along?

Fesseha

We have the Kitfo gods to thank.

Abass

Just like Seleda! Most of us didn't know each other.

Samuel

I think Abass who led most of the effort needs the credit. He was honest, focused and straightforward.  That helped most people focus on the work part. We were also motivated by what looked like an Ethiopian project with huge potential to influence future Ethiopic software development.

Michael

Got along just fine.

9) What is the current state of the Ethiopic UNICODE standard?

Fesseha

The standard has been accepted by the organization.  But it will take time before it is fully implemented both in software and hardware.

Abass

The standard is established and printed. I think there seems to be an effort to introduce more characters into the standard. Daniel Yacob or Michael Everson can help on this one.

Samuel

It has been accepted by the big boys of ISO. However, UNIODE itself is a few years away from serious implementation in the computing industry as a whole.

Michael

The basic character set has been encoded. Special characters used in dialects and minority languages, and historic characters, have not yet been encoded.

10) Why did you choose the name “Ethiopic”?  Whose idea was it?

Fesseha

The term was not coined by me, linguists have been using it for years.  But I pushed to have it accepted as the proper term for the script rather than Ge'ez or Amharic.   It is proper to use it because it includes sounds and characters that are not used by either Amharic or Ge'ez.  Additionally, the original Ge'ez has been extended to include characters for other Ethiopian languages.   It was a struggle to get accepted though.    

Abass

The earlier drafts used "Ethiopian Script", but "Ethiopic" was adapted at the later stage and I don't have a first hand information how it happened. Fesseha Atlaw may have some role in this.

Samuel

Our group, per se, did not choose the name. No question that we loved it and pushed for its acceptance. But it was a debated issue among many interest groups inside and outside Ethiopia. Historically, the word “Ethiopic” has been used by foreign academics and researchers and it wasn’t easy defending it but this fact helped its wide acceptance.

Michael

It was my idea, in part. Since the script is used in more than one country, it was felt that "Ethiopian" could be an insensitive term. We did not invent the term, however.

11) How well has the standard been accepted by current Fontographers?  Just how many are there anyway?

Fesseha

This doesn't affect the people who design fonts.   But there are many, many fonts in Ethiopia now.  Ten years ago it really was rare to even see computers in Addis, but now you can go to a roadside kiosk and have something written up in beautiful fonts.  

Abass

Unfortunately, Ethiopian digital typography is in an infantile state. There may be three or more fonts that support Unicode out there including "Ethiopia Jiret", "GF Zemen Unicode", "Code2000", and "TITUS Cyberbit Basic". "Ethiopia Jiret" and "GF Zemen" are freely available. "Ethiopia Jiret" is my work.

Samuel

It is not the fontographers who are affected by Unicode. These guys just design beautiful fonts and give them cool names like Begemder, Ye-Gojam Feres, Arada Italics, Seleda Bold, etc. Seriously, it is the Ethiopic software developers who will use the standards. When UNICODE is widely used in the computing industry as a whole, we will start seeing them actually write Ethiopic software compatible with the UNICODE standards.

Michael

There aren't that many font designers, certainly not that many who are interested in Ethiopic. Myself, I'm interested in doing a simple monowidth Ethiopic font, reminiscent of typewriters. (Like Courier.)

12) How would this achievement change (if at all) the course of typographic design/creativity with Ethiopic fonts?

Fesseha

See above.  It has no effect on that, You can create your own fonts today and sell them as "[SeledaEditorX] Font".

Abass

Typography in general, digital typography in particular is something we all need to strive like everything else.

Samuel

Again, the standards have nothing to do with the fonts. However, the uniformity will help software developers concentrate on other innovative aspects of software development than worrying how to fit more than 330 characters in an ASCII table of less than 256 spaces.

Michael

I'm not sure I understand your question.

13) Do you know when the UNICODE standard will be universally implemented?

Fesseha

I don't know. It will take time.

Abass

I cannot say for sure.

Samuel

Eventually! But my guess is in about five years, we should see some serious UNICODE work out there.

Michael

Alas, no. The bigger companies are doing the best they can. It takes time. It's complicated. But I'd say that in ten years time certainly it will be everywhere.

14) This being OSCAR month and all, can you tell us who or what would win the prize for the following UNICODing experience?

·    most rewarding?

Fesseha

The fact that I have been involved on saving our cultural heritage has really been rewarding to me.  It was widely accepted that a language that cannot be computerized will die out, and there were people who were actively pushing for the abandonment of the Ethiopic script altogether and to go with Latin.  

Abass

It was most rewarding.

Samuel

Getting the UNICODE committees and ISO accept the standard itself.

·        most frustrating?

Fesseha

There really haven't been, unless we talk about the "Font Wars".

Samuel

the telephone bills.

·       funniest?

Fesseha

My funniest memories are more related to my own software.  One was this.  Since I had given my home phone for technical support, I got a long distance emergency phone call from Ethiopia from a government office.  They were in a panic because they could not find the letter " mua ".  "Mua TefachibiN !!" 

Samuel

UNICODE people are too serious…….I would love to see how the Church people react to some of the next standardization issue like character definition. That may have its funny moments.

·    Saddest?

Fesseha

None

Samuel

Have not seen one yet.

15) Did this experience teach you anything new about Amharic / Ge’ez?  ( Or did it bring ye qES tmhrt bEt tztawoch )

Fesseha

I got to love all the fidels, it was like I was flirting with them.  Each of them has its own character.   At one time, when I was working on my software, I had wanted to eliminate some of the "redundant" sounds like the three different "ha " fidels, but I learned that they were redundant in Amharic, but not in Ge'ez or Tigrigna.   You cannot use "hameru-ha color:black;layout-grid-mode:line; font-weight:normal;'>" in place of " haleta-ha ", for example.   The system is very logical, and can be proposed as the script for many languages.  I was once asked by Native Americans to see if they could adopt it.

Abass

All the work I did in the area of Ethiopic script including the Unicode project have taught me so much!

Samuel

Mainly the fact that Ethiopic script contains a solid and scalable framework that can enable all Ethiopian and African languages to be written languages. I have always hated the adoption of Latin for African languages and as noted scholars like Ato Baye Yimam of Institute of Ethiopian Studies have pointed out, there is no technical reasons why that shouldn’t be the case. But then there is politics, which sucks, as you know.

16) What is the current state of Ethiopic computing?  What else needs to be  done on Ethiopic computer standardization? 

Fesseha

There needs to be more standardization work on many things, keyboard entry system being one. I recently come back from Ethiopia, and talked to people there who would work on this.

Abass

Ethiopic computing has not shown marked difference from what it has been a decade ago. I might be dead wrong here, but except from a few sporadic efforts on standardization, there isn't anything being done.

Maybe the prerequisite for this is real Ethiopic computing movement.

Samuel

There is an ongoing effort to extend the standardizations to character definitions (adding new sounds from other Ethiopian languages), key-board layout and transliteration. This is mainly done in Ethiopia now. Personally, I would like to see more participation from Ethiopians outside the country. However, the Addis group so far has not been very effective in communication.

Michael

I would like to work with people knowledgeable about dialect requirements, minority language requirements, and historical requirements to augment the set of encoded Ethiopic characters.

17) What is your vision on Ethiopic computing, and where should further efforts be spent

Fesseha

Standardization work needs to happen, and because there really is no government standardization body, interested people have gotten together to define what needs to be done and then pursue that.  That is what ECoSA is, and they have gotten legal recognition.

Abass

Expose our young and our kids to the open source community and leave the rest to them.

Samuel

The biggest frustration among Ethiopic script users now is its inconvenience in the e-mail and HTML (and its derivatives) world.  There are some work-arounds, as we call them in the industry. However, the richness of Ethiopic-based written documents will not see the light of day in the digital world until web browsers and e-mail programs can seamlessly support the script. UNICODE seems to promise us all that. But it will be a long wait

18) Dare we ask….ECoSA

Abass

Committee for Ethiopic Computing (CEC), which I was a member of, had some communication with ECoSA, but not much came out of it.

Samuel

Well, try “google” or as some ET guy called it: Gol-gul. It is a cool name, BTW.   It rhymes with such phrases as” “Lij Kassa”, “ tew tenesa ”, “ lbe sasa ”, “Welansa”, “mi-casa su-casa”. I had the honor of meeting some of the good minds behind it.

19) Any closing thoughts

Fesseha

I do not want Seleda to discontinue.

Abass

Standards are not natural laws, they only express themselves as standard if they are accepted and implemented by the wider community. Promoting Ethiopic Unicode standard at development level as critical as itself. At closing, I thank you very much for your kindness and for rich sense humor!

Samuel

My best wishes for Seleda. May all of you keep the inspiration alive and keep us entertained and educated.

20) Can you include a picture of yourself? Please

Abass

This question reminded me if I have a picture of myself. You get the idea..

Samuel

Please check out: http://www.digitaladdis.com/sk I had hair then.

Michael

There are some pictures of me on my website. http://www.egt.ie/misc/Michael-pics.html