Sun 10 Nov 2013 07:54:25 PM UTC, comment #6:
Hi Shriramana (et. al.)
Your technical remarks are quite right, as near as I can make out, however, it isn't clear to me the question should be dismissed.
I just tried out this sequence in Firefox (Harfbuzz enabled) on my Linux system. Indeed with FreeSerif a dotted circle appears, but also with Lohit Hindi (2.4.3, dated 2009) a dotted circle appears. What's different?
As you say, the rendering engine is disallowing this sequence. Just to be sure, I added a positioning anchor for the anusvara to the avagraha in my local copy of the font. It did not help. I doubt I can do anything about this from the font side.
Some further thoughts:
Rendering engines should allow sequences permitted by the standards -- it would really be a pity to have them all going off their own ways.
Whether the form "avagraha+anusvara" is proper or not, a previous usage in printing is some evidence that it ought to be considered. That is up to the standards committees to decide, and persons such as yourself to argue -- but perhaps it ought to be discussed. (But as you point out, probably not here.)
Do the current standards prohibit the form? I'm not sure...
Would it be impossible or undesirable for the standards to accommodate the form?
Unless there is some overriding reason to disallow the form,... if it has been used, why not allow it?
Finally, if the standards don't proscribe the form, yes, you ought to take the question up with the rendering engine developers.
Cheers!
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