uim

uim [OPTION]...

-h, --help
    Displays a help message and exits.

-v, --version
    Displays version information and exits.

UIM (Universal Input Method) is an input method framework designed for
Unix-like operating systems. It provides a flexible and extensible way for
users to input various languages, especially those with complex character sets
like Japanese, Chinese, and Korean. It abstracts the input
process, allowing different input engines (e.g., Kana-kanji conversion,
Pinyin) to be used consistently across applications.

UIM integrates with various toolkits and desktop environments, including
GTK+, Qt, and XIM (X Input Method). It aims to be highly
customizable, supporting user-defined keybindings, dictionaries, and
conversion rules. The uim command itself is typically a minimal utility
or a component of the broader framework, often used to launch or manage
other UIM-related tools like uim-fep (front-end processor),
uim-xim (XIM server), or uim-pref (preferences).

The uim command itself is often a wrapper or a minimal utility. Most
user interaction and configuration of the UIM framework occur
through related commands like uim-fep, uim-pref, or by
setting appropriate environment variables such as GTK_IM_MODULE,
QT_IM_MODULE, and XMODIFIERS. Incorrect setup of these
variables or conflicts with other installed input methods can lead to
unexpected behavior or non-functional input.

UIM's behavior is extensively controlled by configuration files,
typically located in a user's home directory under ~/.uim or
system-wide in /etc/uim. The graphical utility uim-pref is
the recommended tool for managing these settings, including input method
engines, keybindings, and dictionaries.

For UIM to function correctly and integrate with applications,
crucial environment variables must be set. These include GTK_IM_MODULE,
QT_IM_MODULE, and XMODIFIERS. Users often set these in their
shell's profile (e.g., ~/.bashrc, ~/.xinitrc) or rely on their
desktop environment to manage them.

The UIM project was initiated around 2003 by Daiki Ueno,
with the goal of creating a universal and extensible input method
framework to overcome limitations found in existing systems like SCIM.
It quickly gained traction, particularly within the Japanese Linux
community, as a robust and highly customizable alternative. While still
actively maintained, UIM faces strong competition from newer input
methods such as IBus and Fcitx, which have become default
choices in many modern Linux distributions.

ibus(1), fcitx(1), xim(7), uim-fep(1), uim-pref(1), locale(1)