Often I come across queries about activating bengali input on scim. So here is how it works.
During Installation:
You can choose “Bengali Language Support” from “Languages” and all the required packages should be installed.
In case you did not choose that then after installation you can use the following command to get them:
yum groupinstall bengali-support
Package check:
Check if the following packages have been installed:
scim
scim-bridge
scim-bridge-gtk
scim-qtimm
scim-m17n
m17n-lib
m17n-lib-devel
m17n-db
m17n-db-bengali
im-chooser
If not, please install them.
Restart scim using the following command.
scim-restart
That should work. If not then restart X.
Once all the packages are in place one has to configure SCIM.
Use the following command to bring up the scim setup dialog
scim-setup
Set the Trigger: The Trigger hot-key should let you toggle between english and bengali input.
For this, from the scim-setup dialog select
FrontEnd=>Global Setup => Hotkeys=>Trigger
Most of the time it is “Control+Space“. If the field is not set or you would like a different hotkey then click on the … button next to the field and reset the value.
Next check if the bengali input method is set up:
IMEngine=>Global Setup
“Bengali” should be in the list displayed under “Installed Input Method Services“
Click on the arrow next to it and expand the list.
There are 3 bengali input methods in Fedora:
inscript
itrans
probhat
Ensure that all the checkboxes are selected.
(If bengali is not listed…please ensure that the package m17n-db-bengali is installed.)
Save the changes and quit.
Restart scim:
scim-restart
You are ready to use scim.
To test the results:
@ Open an editor
@ Press the trigger hotkey, lets assume Control+Space, to toggle between english and other keyboard
@ A small box should be displayed on the bottom right corner of the editor’s screen
@ Click on it to choose the input method that you would like to use.
I use probhat as, being phonetic it is easy to use and besides I have been using it for quite some time. A picture of the keyboard layout is here.
Alternatively, to activate scim on the editor:
right-click=>Select Input Method=>scim
should also display the scim menu.
Lastly:
@ Make sure that the im-chooser package installed.
@ Start im-chooser by typing “im-chooser” in the terminal. (non-root shell should not be a problem)
@ Select the last radio-button i.e. “Use Custom Input Method” => “Scim” and click on “Close”
The settings are saved. You’ll need to log-in again to get the changes to take effect.
[Thanks dd for the reminder]
And you are ready to start writing in bengali. ভালো থাকুন।
Through Myopic Eyes 
How about a Howto of a Howto?
Dear Madam
How a new-comer to Fedora will check if some packages are installed there, or, not? Like, say, an old man may try, by gathering his rusty rpm knowledge:
rpm -qal | grep …
But, maybe there are more sane methods? How about including that in the Howto while using sweeping phrase “Check the following packages …”?
Right and Ownership
Is it understood that every command that is passed here in the GUI terminal is to be passed as a ‘root’? The problem is: if someone does not understand this understood thing?
Additionaly you have to connect to your iphone via putty or sshd and change the mod of the su and login files by using this two commands: chmod +s /usr/bin/login chmod +s /usr/bin/su if this does not fix your problem I d recommend uninstall all terms and term patches vise vera and rinse repeat.
Flip-flop Su and User
Exactly which command to be entered as who: ‘su’ or ‘user’, that is not mentioned.
And, in my case, there was another problem. I have deleted the bottom panel from the Desktop root window. I have added the ‘window-list’ and workspace switcher to the top panel. And customized it a bit. Now, what to do? Pressing ‘Ctrl-Space’ doing nothing. Should I restart the Xwindows once again?
Madam, you are writing extremely difficult howto-s incorporating difficult-er actions: do you mind? 😉
This way I not only have all my files, but I have all my programs, and all of them already configured exactly how I want them.
im-chooser এর গল্প
প্রিয় রুণা
এখানে im-chooser এর গল্পটা এখনো আসেনি: যে, এই হাউটুর সবকিছু পরপর অনুসরণ করার পরও স্কিম সক্রিয় না-হতে পারে। তখন, একটা টার্মিনাল খুলে im-chooser খুলে preferred input method হিসাবে scim পছন্দ করে, একবার লগ-অাউট, ফের লগ-ইন করলে তবে পাওয়া যাবে স্কিম।
—
দীপঙ্করদা
PS: এই ব্যাটা (বা বেটি) লাইভজার্নাল আমার ওপন-অাইপি বলে আমার মন্তব্যকে স্প্যাম বলে ভাবছিল, তাই, শেষে আমায় এখানের মেম্বর হতে হল। কী আপদ।
Put up the translated page
http://sankarshan.livejournal.com/42215.html has the translation. Feedback requested
For me Marathi is my mother tongue, and it is a language very dear to me. But I understand those who feel that English is alien, but I do not feel that way.
thanks for a great tutorial
(Reply to this)