Bengali input methods refer to different systems developed to type Bengali language characters using a typewriter or a computer keyboard.
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In the 1960s, Munier Choudhury created the first scientifically analysed key layout for typewriters. The Remington typewriting company marketed a series of Bengali typewriters under the brand name "Munier Optima".[1]
With the advent of graphical user interfaces and word processing in the 1980s, a number of computer typing systems for Bengali were created. Most of these were originally based on Apple Macintosh systems.
This keyboard layout is designed in order to type all the indic scripts with a uniform layout on computer. This layout is officially accepted by Microsoft Corporation and is provided by default in their Windows operating system. This layout is mainly popular in India.
Saif Shahid initiated the development of the first computer Bengali keyboard layout for Apple Mac computers in 1983. A complete Mac-based system was marketed in 1985 from Beximco Computers.[2]
A free Unicode-based bangla fixed layout. Probhat is included in almost Linux OS(s). Its key mapping is similar to Phonetic pattern but typing method is fully Fixed.
| Probhat Layout Key Mapping | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Usual Roman Key | Probhat Mapped Key | ||
| Unshifted | Shifted | Unshifted | Shifted |
| ` (back quote) | ~ (tilde) | ZWJ (U+200D) | ~ (tilde) |
| 1 | ! | ১ (U+09E7) | ! |
| 2 | @ (at sign) | ২ (U+09E8) | @ (at sign) |
| 3 | # (hash/number) | ৩ (U+09E9) | # (hash/number) |
| 4 | $ (dollar) | ৪ (U+09EA) | ৳ (U+09F3) |
| 5 | % (percent) | ৫ (U+09EB) | % (percent) |
| 6 | ^ (caret) | ৬ (U+09EC) | ^ (caret) |
| 7 | & (ampersand) | ৭ (U+09ED) | ঞ (U+099E) |
| 8 | * (asterisk) | ৮ (U+09EE) | ৎ (U+09CE) |
| 9 | ( | ৯ (U+09EF) | ( |
| 0 | ) | ০ (U+09E6) | ) |
| Usual Roman Key | Probhat Mapped Key | ||
| Unshifted | Shifted | Unshifted | Shifted |
| q | Q | দ (U+09A6) | ধ (U+09A7) |
| w | W | ূ (U+09C2) | ঊ (U+098A) |
| e | E | ী (U+09C0) | ঈ (U+0988) |
| r | R | র (U+09B0) | ড় (U+09DC) |
| t | T | ট (U+099F) | ঠ (U+09A0) |
| y | Y | এ (U+098F) | ঐ (U+0990) |
| u | U | ু (U+09C1) | উ (U+0989) |
| i | I | ি (U+09BF) | ই (U+0987) |
| o | O | ও (U+0993) | ঔ (U+0994) |
| p | P | প (U+09AA) | ফ (U+09AB) |
| [ | { | ে (U+09C7) | ৈ (U+09C8) |
| ] | } | ো (U+09CB) | ৌ (U+09CC) |
| \ (backslash) | | (vertical bar) | ZWNJ (U+200C) | ॥ (U+0965) |
| Usual Roman Key | Probhat Mapped Key | ||
| Unshifted | Shifted | Unshifted | Shifted |
| a | A | া (U+09BE) | অ (U+0985) |
| s | S | স (U+09B8) | ষ (U+09B7) |
| d | D | ড (U+09A1) | ঢ (U+09A2) |
| f | F | ত (U+09A4) | থ (U+09A5) |
| g | G | গ (U+0997) | ঘ (U+0998) |
| h | H | হ (U+09B9) | ঃ (U+0983) |
| j | J | জ (U+099C) | ঝ (U+099D) |
| k | K | ক (U+0995) | খ (U+0996) |
| l | L | ল (U+09B2) | ং (U+0982) |
| Usual Roman Key | Probhat Mapped Key | ||
| Unshifted | Shifted | Unshifted | Shifted |
| z | Z | য় (U+09DF) | য (U+09AF) |
| x | X | শ (U+09B6) | ঢ়(U+09DD) |
| c | C | চ (U+099A) | ছ (U+099B) |
| v | V | আ (U+0986) | ঋ (U+098B) |
| b | B | ব (U+09AC) | ভ (U+09AD) |
| n | N | ন (U+09A8) | ণ (U+09A3) |
| m | M | ম (U+09AE) | ঙ (U+0999) |
| , (comma) | < (less) | , (comma) | ৃ (U+09C3) |
| . (period) | > (greater) | । (U+0964) | ঁ (U+0981) |
| / (slash) | ? (question) | ্ (U+09CD) | ? (question) |
Ananda Computers, owned by Mustafa Jabbar marketed the Bijoy keyboard layout in 1988.[2] This was the most popular keyboard layout in Bangladesh in the 1990s. Bijoy is a proprietary, ASCII based Bangla input software and requires purchase of a license to use on every computer.
The free Unicode/ANSI-based Akkhor Keyboard has support for Akkhor Phonetic, National (Jatiyo) fixed keyboard layout. It also has keyboard customization options.
The free Unicode/ANSI-based Avro Keyboard has support for Bornona, Avro Easy, National (Jatiyo), Munir, Probhat and UniBijoy fixed keyboard layout. Fixed keyboard layouts can be added & removed as plug-in.
Support for National (Jatiyo), Munir, Probhat, Rupali, Incript and UniJoy fixed keyboard layouts is available in free Unicode/ANSI-based Shabdik software.[3]
Akkhor Bangla Software, developed by Khan Md. Anwarus Salam, was first released on 1 January 2003 for free. Akkhor implemented first Bangla transliteration system for Bengali. The free Unicode/ANSI-based Akkhor Keyboard has support for Akkhor Phonetic, National (Jatiyo) fixed keyboard layouts. Akkhor also provided customization feature for designing fixed keyboard layouts. It provides Keyboard Manager which works system wide and also provide independent Akkhor Word processor.
Avro Keyboard, developed by Mehdi Hasan Khan, was first released on 26 March 2003 for free. It facilitates both fixed and phonetic layouts. Avro phonetic allows a user to write Bengali by typing the phonetic formation of the words in English language keyboards.[2] It is the most popular and widely used Bangla input system especially by the diaspora who do not have access to a physical Bangla keyboard.
On April 2010, the Avro Keyboard faced a conflict with Bijoy.
Shabdik is a free software from IECB that has both fixed keyboard layout and phonetic support.[3]
Mayabi Bangla Keyboard is the first on screen Bengali/Bangla soft keyboard for Android platform with phonetic support released on March 18, 2011. This is first version of Mayabi Bangla Keyboard with phonetic input support only. Later on new version Mayabi Keyboard released on October 29, 2011 with both phonetic input support and fixed keyboard layout. The fixed keyboard layout was made after lot of analysis on frequency of character appearance in Bengali scripts. Most frequent characters are placed on normal(non-shifted) layout and remaining others placed on shifted key layout that people can write fast with less key presses. Bengali word dictionary with almost 250000 words of most frequent words from Bengali scripts included with the keyboard as well for word prediction. This keyboard is widely accepted by the android users and Internet community.
There is a free transliteration web site and software package for Bengali scripts from google.[4]
Along with other Indic languages, Microsoft has web based and desktop transliteration support for Bengali.[5]
Bangla-অঙ্কুর (onkur), developed by S. M. Raiyan Kabir, was first released on 30 March 2011 as an open source software. It facilitates only phonetic typing in Macintosh platform. Bangla-onkur phonetic allows a user to write Bengali by typing the phonetic formation of the words in English language keyboards. This is the first phonetic input method developed for Mac OS X.
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