uniKode for Lao

A fascinating aspect of the world we live in is diversity. This can even be found in written communication in the form of graphic representation of letters. Since the pen and paper method is slowly replaced by computer applications and common keyboards use Latin characters, it can be difficult writing in another alphabet. However, tools like uniKode for Lao provide extended support, this one strictly referring to the Lao alphabet.

One of the first things you need to consider before installing the application is making sure you have .NET Framework version 1.1 on your computer. This is a major setback, having seen that the latest version is not recognized by the application, making it difficult to deploy on more recent Windows iteration.

However, that is the only major requirement, the application working flawlessly once deployed. When launched, it brings up a virtual keyboard on your desktop that lets you insert Lao characters into nearly any kind of text document.

Take caution, because characters only appear correctly if the target application has the font set to Lao unicode (Lao UI). What's more, you can choose the keyboard emulation method to be either send-it or copy-paste, the latter providing a higher degree of compatibility with applications or web chat boxes that don't have font selection.

You can select whether to trigger buttons on mouse click or when hovering the cursor over it. Unfortunately, there is no implemented function that binds characters to keyboard buttons, so you mostly have to use the mouse.

Taking everything into consideration, we can say that uniKode for Lao is a lightweight and straightforward accessibility tool that might come in handy for Lao speakers. It gets the job done well, but requirements might have you looking for alternatives that don't rely on outdated programs to run.