What is DST? How to operate in DST?

DST is the transliteration mode in which Classic Azhagi generally opens. Click here for a screenshot and brief intro on how to operate in DST.

Please note that this page you are currently viewing is only to highlight the benefits of DST alone. Otherwise, Azhagi has several other sophisticated and unique features, including 'direct indic input in any application', which are summarised at feats.php.

Benefits of DST

'DUAL SCREEN' Transliterator (DST) is not only first-of-its-kind in its making but provides first-of-its-kind advantages to the users too, which will have a long-standing effect. To elaborate on them:


1. In DST, what you type in English is always seen. So, user instantly knows what he/she types in English and what he/she gets in Tamil. The learning curve is so fast and hence DST generates an instant attraction/interest in the new users to compute/communicate in their own language. There are 1000s and 1000s of people who dont know anything about Tamil computing, but know English, atleast at basic level. So, Azhagi is just the right tool to enthuse such people to have a kick-start in Tamil computing, helping to greatly enrich language development in the process.
   
   
2. DST is a great boon for people who know to speak Tamil but either cannot read Tamil or can read Tamil only with some difficulty. People of this kind (their mother tongue may be Tamil or may not be) are large too and one has to always think of their needs too. Since the English text they have typed is always visible and available, they almost confidently know what text in Tamil would have got generated phonetically even if they can't read the Tamil portion. What a beautiful and wonderful way to enthuse Tamil computing and enrich language development!
   
   For instance, one of the users whose mother tongue is not Tamil but greatly willing to communicate in Tamil with his colleagues/neighbours/friends (since he got shifted to Tamilnadu from some other state and has been residing in Tamilnadu for quite some years) finds Azhagi's DST, the greatest gift he ever got on earth.
   
   
3. When the Tamil text (say a poem) generated via DST is emailed to friends/relatives, one can send the corresponding English text also so that both who know to read Tamil and those who do not know to read Tamil (for instance, lakhs of Srilankan refugees' sons and daughters cannot read Tamil but can read English; people whose mother tongue is Tamil but born and brought up in a non-Tamil speaking area) can enjoy the contents of the email. This way, the reach of what one wanted to convey in their own language, to the other end, is wider.
   
   This has been effectively employed by one of Azhagi's corporate users whose Managing Director does not know to read Tamil but greatly interested in reading correspondences in Tamil, Tamil literature, Bharathiar poems etc. Film scriptwriters also find this to their great advantage as they can easily print out and give copies of their scripts in both Tamil and transliterated English. The transliterated English copy is used by actors and technicians who do not know to read Tamil. Astrologers too find this effective for certain needs of them.
   
   
4. For people (particularly those from other states of India) in need of learning Tamil, there is no greater gift than DST. They can, not only learn Tamil, but in due course teach Tamil to other needy ones too!!!
   
   
5. Since 2 screens are available, ANY existing transliterated English texts (say one's poems, lyrics, list of names etc.) can be pasted on to the top screen and got in Tamil in the bottom screen in quick time.
   
   This was used to great advantage by one of Azhagi's corporate users, to convert huge volumes of lyrics in transliterated English to Tamil, in quick time, thus increasing their productivity enormously.
   
   
6. One can type their transliterated English text in any computer (even if it does not have Azhagi installed in it) in any place and get it converted into Tamil later in some other computer in which Azhagi is installed, by pasting a file copy of their English text in the top screen of Azhagi and seeing the same in Tamil in the bottom screen. What an immense advantage!
   
   
7. While effecting DST, one can opt to 'pause/resume the transliteration' effect. Some users prefer to do it this way wherein they pause the transliteration initially, type/edit out all the English text in the top area and finally convert the same to Tamil by resuming the transliteration. They find this mode of transliteration very easy.
   
   
8. Last but not least, 'Dual Screen' interface is the only interface preferred by some users (just not newcomers but those who know about Tamil computing already too) of Azhagi for effecting their transliteration. They find it easier for their particular needs.
   
   
Azhagi ofcourse has several other sophisticated and unique features which are summarised at feats.php. The above points on DST are to highlight the advantages of DST alone.

In effect, DST and the variety of other features in Azhagi helps to spread Tamil computing amongst ALL kinds of entities - Professionals, corporates, individuals, newcomers, children, oldsters, those who know to read Tamil, those who cannot read Tamil, those whose mother tongue is Tamil, those whose mother tongue is not Tamil ... ... . The picture below depicts Azhagi's DST interface. As said earlier, 'Single Screen' Transliteration is also possible in Azhagi, along with Direct Tamil Input in ALL Windows applications.