[Ubuntu Chicago] Fwd: Semi-blind, 7-language ret.professor in Chicago needs help with Ubuntu, after trying 3 days

[James Ruffer]

Hell Ill give it a try if he can wait till I get into town.
I am assuming he can read it and tell me what "next"?


On 8/21/07, Richard A. Johnson <nixternal at ubuntu.com> wrote:
> Hey everyone,
>
> Sorry for the cross-post to the lists, but I was hoping you all may be able to
> help out here. I received the following message which I have forwarded
> inline. It is a very touching story only because you really don't hear of
> things like this. The gentleman who emailed me is a retired professor, 85
> years old, and needs to setup Ubuntu on his new laptop where he can type his
> book with Hebrew/Arabic letters. I am ignorant when it comes to anything
> other than English and a little bit of Spanish (enough to order more Tequila
> and Cervesa, and to cuss you out when you cut me off in Little Village).
> Anyways, I am hoping that someone from these lists may be able to either help
> me out, or to help this gentleman out with what he is trying to do.
>
> If anyone is able to help out with this, please contact me or reply to the
> list. I do not know exactly where he is in Chicago just yet, but I have
> requested that information so we can place somebody close to help him out.
> Once we can get this setup and it is a successful job, I can promise you that
> this story will be large and will make Chicago look good! Thanks ahead of
> time for anyone that would be able to help.
>
> ----------  Forwarded Message  ----------
>
> Subject: Semi-blind, 7-language ret.professor in Chicago needs help with
> Ubuntu, after trying 3 days
> Date: Tuesday 21 August 2007
> From: "חביב אבירזי" <xxxxx at xxxx.com>
> To: nixternal at gmail.com
>
> Dear Mr. Johnson:
> Kindly excuse my perhaps for you oversized characters, but, being
> visually impaired, I cannot see the customary mini-sized letters at
> all, thus have no choice - therefore, also, would appreciate your
> reply, at your very earliest convenience, in like manner, if at all
> wthin the realm of possibility.
> If, as I was told, you are, indeed, located in Chicago, where I happen
> to reside, then perhaps it might be significantly more practical to
> discuss this matter - of how to install the Ubuntu CD just bought by
> me before the weekend, together with an Acer laptop computer - a job
> for which I
> may or may not have been qualified to accomplish same prior to my
> eighty-fifth birthday and before becoming afflicted with disability,
> plus the aforementioned semi-blindness, but which, in any event I was
> unable to perform, even with the attempted help by both my wife and
> son, given those dire circumstances, except to a rather minimal extant
> - to do so by telephone - however, I hasten to add that, due to my
> unfortunate disability, i cannot be called at all, only call out. I am
> now on the verge of returning both the said Acer computer and the
> Ubuntu book and disk to the store - where they decline to set it up,
> not even for extra payment - unless, hopefully, I can perhaps get some
> help from you. My main concern is to write IVRIT (Hebrew), i.e. from
> right to left, keeping all punctuation marks in their proper places,
> and that with large characters - see above - both of which my
> otherwise excellent "Apple" fails to perform. Hence my first and
> foremost - but by far not only - question to you: Can, in Ubuntu,  the
> Hebrew language, the right to left direction of the writing, the
> Hebrew characters, as opposed to "encodings", the Hebrew vocalization
> - mostly not required in most  prose
> texts, but needed mainly for poetry, which is also part of my writings
> -  and the big and bold letters, too, be made the default? I
> definitely need all that in conjunction with e-mails to be sent to
> prospective publishers of my new book - which would be "warranteed" to
> miserably fail if the recipient would therein face questions preceded
> by the question mark - rather than the other way around. As to me: I
> am a retired professor of Semitic & European languages, essentially
> Hebrew and Arabic - the latter, of course, likewise moving right to
> left - plus such additional languages as French, German, Italian, and
> Spanish, all of which I have taught for some sixty years or so, mostly
> in this country. In this respect, I may perhaps also, occasionally, my
> advanced age,
> visual impairment, and disability notwithstanding, be of some meaqsure
> of help to your favorite cause, to wit: "Ubuntu". One never knows.
> In the hoped-for expectation of your early word, I remain,
> Yours multi-lingually and, moreover,
> Yours truly,
> Xaviv (the "X" in international phonetics signifies the guttural,
> characteristic for, inter alia, both Hebrew and Arabic, a sound not at
> all identical with the entirely non gutteral, German "ch" or Spanish
> "jota"!). The same (also known as Professor) ...
>
> -------------------------------------------------------
>
> --
> Richard A. Johnson
> nixternal at ubuntu.com
> GPG Key: 0x2E2C0124
>
> --
> Ubuntu-us-chicago mailing list
> Ubuntu-us-chicago at lists.ubuntu.com
> https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-us-chicago
>
>
>


-- 
Thank you for your time.

James F. Ruffer III
Ce|H, MSCE, CNA, CCNA, & BSDI
1.518.271.1844  Mobile