KanjiTalk
Encyclopedia
KanjiTalk was the name given by Apple to its Japanese language
localization of Mac OS
. It consisted of translated applications, a set of Japanese fonts, and a Japanese input method
called Kotoeri
. The software was sold and supported only in Japan. It was available for purchase through other resellers in the United States, but Apple did not support its use outside of Japan.
Early versions of KanjiTalk were based on a proprietary Kanji
script input system called 2.0 & 2.1. Developments following version 2.0 laid the groundwork which eventually became Kotoeri introduced with System 7.1.
KanjiTalk 1.0 debuted in 1986, alongside Apple's universal System 3.0, and first distributed with the Mac Plus. It was followed with limited version updates, up to 2.0, 6.0
, and then parallel updates with Apple's System 7
. Apple had intended to ship its new PowerBook
models with System 7, but development of the new OS was taking longer than anticipated, so Apple released a special version of System 6.0.7.1, with support for KanjiTalk, in order to market its new laptops in Japan. The PowerBook 100
was co-designed and manufactured by Sony.
KanjiTalk was succeeded by Apple's more standardized precursor to Unicode
, known as WorldScript
, from Mac OS 8
to Mac OS X
— a controversial decision, as it did not adequately provide for all of the traditional Kanji characters.
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
localization of Mac OS
Mac OS
Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
. It consisted of translated applications, a set of Japanese fonts, and a Japanese input method
Japanese input methods
Japanese input methods are the methods used to input Japanese characters on a computer.There are two main methods of inputting Japanese on computers. One is via a romanized version of Japanese called rōmaji , and the other is via keyboard keys corresponding to the Japanese kana...
called Kotoeri
Kotoeri
is a Japanese language input method that comes standard with Mac OS X and earlier versions of the Mac OS. Kotoeri literally means "word selection".-To convert kana to kanji in Mac OS X::...
. The software was sold and supported only in Japan. It was available for purchase through other resellers in the United States, but Apple did not support its use outside of Japan.
Early versions of KanjiTalk were based on a proprietary Kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
script input system called 2.0 & 2.1. Developments following version 2.0 laid the groundwork which eventually became Kotoeri introduced with System 7.1.
KanjiTalk 1.0 debuted in 1986, alongside Apple's universal System 3.0, and first distributed with the Mac Plus. It was followed with limited version updates, up to 2.0, 6.0
System 6
System 6 is a graphical user interface-based operating system for Macintosh computers. It was released in 1988 by Apple Computer and was part of the Mac OS line of operating systems. System 6 was shipped with various Macintosh computers until it was succeeded by System 7 in 1991. The boxed...
, and then parallel updates with Apple's System 7
System 7
System 7 is the name of a Macintosh operating system introduced in 1991.System 7 may also refer to:* System 7 , a British dance/ambient band* System 7 , 1991 album* IBM System/7, a 1970s computer system...
. Apple had intended to ship its new PowerBook
PowerBook
The PowerBook was a line of Macintosh laptop computers that was designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer, Inc. from 1991 to 2006. During its lifetime, the PowerBook went through several major revisions and redesigns, often being the first to incorporate features that would later become...
models with System 7, but development of the new OS was taking longer than anticipated, so Apple released a special version of System 6.0.7.1, with support for KanjiTalk, in order to market its new laptops in Japan. The PowerBook 100
PowerBook 100
The PowerBook 100 was a portable subnotebook personal computer manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced on October 21, 1991 at the COMDEX computer expo in Las Vegas, Nevada. Priced at US$2,300, the PowerBook 100 was the low-end model of the first three simultaneously-released...
was co-designed and manufactured by Sony.
KanjiTalk was succeeded by Apple's more standardized precursor to Unicode
Unicode
Unicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems...
, known as WorldScript
WorldScript
WorldScript was the multilingual text rendering engine for Apple Macintosh before Mac OS X was introduced.Starting with version 7.1, Apple unified the implementation of non-Roman script systems in a programming interface called WorldScript. WorldScript I was used for all one-byte character sets and...
, from Mac OS 8
Mac OS 8
Mac OS 8 is an operating system that was released by Apple Computer on July 26, 1997. It represented the largest overhaul of the Mac OS since the release of System 7, some six years previously. It puts more emphasis on color than previous operating systems...
to Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
— a controversial decision, as it did not adequately provide for all of the traditional Kanji characters.