Ancient Greek Extension Problem

users
#1

Hi:

I attempted to add the "AncientGreek 1.5.5 (Apr 17, 2016)" extension, and
received nothing but 404 errors.

I suspect the problem is that the extension (as well as the link URLs) is
now labeled "AncinetGreek-1.5.5" (note the swap of i and e in the name). I
attempted to "correct" the URL in the browser, but gave up after a few
tries.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks.

#2

I attempted to add the "AncientGreek 1.5.5 (Apr 17, 2016)" extension, and received nothing but 404 errors.

I suspect the problem is that the extension (as well as the link URLs) is now labeled "AncinetGreek-1.5.5" (note the swap of i and e in the name). I attempted to "correct" the URL in the browser, but gave up after a few tries.

I think this part of the problem is a red herring, in fact.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

The link to the actual file goes to
http://members.hellug.gr/sng/ancientgreekoxt/files/AncientGreek-1.5.54.oxt , whereas what you need seems to be
http://members.hellug.gr/sng/ancientgreekoxt/files/AncientGreek-1.5.5.oxt .

I trust this helps.

Brian "Sherlock" Barker

#3

Yes, I see the same thing. But if you follow the links back you get to :

http://members.hellug.gr/sng/ancientgreekoxt/index.html

from where you can download the latest beta version, 1.6.beta4.1.

This installs ok in LO Writer 5.1.4.2 but I have no use for it so can't
comment on how it works.

Possible worth giving it a go while waiting for LO website to correct
their links.

hth Philip

#4

Hi again, further to my note on the beta version, try just modifying the
defective link to :

http://members.hellug.gr/sng/ancientgreekoxt/files/AncientGreek-1.5.5.oxt

This gives an apparently good download. (note the last part of the link
is .....1.5.5.oxt and not .....1.5.54.oxt - looks like someone has hit
the keypad without taking care and has hit both the 5 and 4 keys).

Philip

#5

Wow! In the spirit of the currently running Olympics I have to view these
responses as a new world record!

Given the popularity of Ancient Greek (really?), I expected some
half-hearted response sometime six months from now, but FOUR useful
responses in under an hour - with good solutions and interesting information
as well.

I mainly wanted the spell checker, as I already use iBus for easy typing in
several scripts, but thanks much to all in the LibreOffice chorus - it now
seems to be working just as I'd hoped.

βρεκεκεκὲξ κοὰξ κοάξ, as Aristophanes would have said!!!

- Frank

#6

Given the popularity of Ancient Greek (really?),

I wouldn't be surprised if most people use it for Koine Greek, rather
than Attic Greek, which is what it was designed for. grc-koi v grc-att.

I mainly wanted the spell checker

The last time I looked at the extension, it didn't include Katharevousa,
Medieval Greek, or Koine Greek spell checking functionality. Wondering
how those three are segregated from each other, and Attic Greek.

jonathon

#7

Hi:

Hello,

I attempted to add the "AncientGreek 1.5.5 (Apr 17, 2016)" extension, and
received nothing but 404 errors.

I suspect the problem is that the extension (as well as the link URLs) is
now labeled "AncinetGreek-1.5.5" (note the swap of i and e in the name). I
attempted to "correct" the URL in the browser, but gave up after a few
tries.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

If you try to download if from http://extensions.libreoffice.org/extension-center/ancientgreek/releases/1.5.5
the good URL seems to be
  http://members.hellug.gr/sng/ancientgreekoxt/files/AncientGreek-1.5.5.oxt

#8

Hi Jonathon:

I'm primarily interested in Attic Greek, as my current concentration is on
the works of Aristotle, and even more particularly in his Organon collection
(probably the best relational database design book ever written, once you
figure out what he's getting at with that in mind). Unfortunately, I'm
installing many, many bits of software on a new installation piece by piece,
so likely won't be able to test it for real until perhaps next weekend as,
surprise, it's not the major thing I need to get working.

One of my (other and many) gripes related to Attic Greek is that the same
distinctions aren't very consistent in the font glyphs I have - I prefer the
ancient form of the circumflex rather than the modern form which looks to me
like a misplaced tilde. I guess I'm just too old to be satisfied anymore.

I'll try to remember to post back on how well this all works when I get a
chance. As I said earlier, it never occurred to me that anyone else had any
interest in this stuff.

Frank

#9

On Wed, 17 Aug 2016 12:24:31 -0700 (MST)
CVAlkan <foberle@enteract.com> dijo:

One of my (other and many) gripes related to Attic Greek is that the
same distinctions aren't very consistent in the font glyphs I have - I
prefer the ancient form of the circumflex rather than the modern form
which looks to me like a misplaced tilde. I guess I'm just too old to
be satisfied anymore.

Might this be a problem with the font you are using?

#10

Sorry - it absolutely is a font problem! I was just griping that most (well,
many) fonts provide only the modern form of the glyph - their creators
assuming that the font's use will be for modern Greek. I guess that's a
correct assumption most of the time, so it's a hollow complaint.

I was just whining (it's what we old folks do). It's disturbing to find a
font I think is otherwise good looking, but has the tilde-like glyph. But
some fonts do include "alternate" glyphs, so it's not all bad. And there's
always FontForge (for Linux) and Fontographer (for Windows).

But thanks much for the suggestion.

#11

Try SBL BibLit.

jonathon

#12

Hi Jonathon:

The SBL Greek is one of the ones I've looked at, but it also had the tilde
shaped circumflex (in Unicode it's actually called a perispomeni) - a little
surprising since that didn't show up in any manuscripts that I'm aware of
until well after biblical times.

But I'll take another look.

Another character that annoys me in most fonts' Greek glyphs is the phi
which is usually shown as φ (like an effeminate p with too much of a swirl)
whereas in ancient manuscripts it's more like an o character with a slanted
line going through it.

Thanks,

Frank

#13

Actually, just to clarify what I'm referring to about the shapes in old Greek
manuscripts, take a look at:

http://www.bibleplaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Greek_Fonts_Chart_by_Kris_Udd.pdf

Take a look at the "f,F" row and you can see what I meant about the phi
character. These particular examples cover the period from about 800 bce to
400 ad. Of course, as fonts go, these are designed more for utility than for
beauty, but ...

So, I'm always happy to hear about any usable fonts for ancient Greek.

And since I'm being a cranky old guy anyway - most sites that list "Greek
Fonts" have loads of fonts that have no Greek glyphs whatsoever - only the
normal Latin glyphs designed to "look like" what the designer thinks Greek
characters look like.

So, enough already....

#14

I had a dim recollection that something was wrong with a couple of other
glyphs, but couldn't remember what.

At least one can legally modify the SBL BibLit fonts. Rename it if
distributed to third parties.

I came across a font for Koine Greek that contained the modern Greek
glyphs, not the Koine Greek ones.

jonathon

#15

Another user contacted me privately and said the following:

Quote:
This page has some information about which fonts use the circumflex:
http://www.drshirley.org/fonts/polytonic.html

It's rather old, but the information seems reliable.
End Quote

This is actually a quite useful site (assuming your interest is in Ancient
Greek), so I thought I should share it.