1. For some Indic scripts, including Devanagari, there is no fixed set of 'ligatures' that would be normative for every typeface, or for every language using the script. So even for a single script you would be looking at multiple lists, with the same combination of characters likely represented in different ways for different languages.
2. The idea of a 'ligature', as it exists in the Latin script, is not really found in Indic scripts. This terminology derives from the application of particular typecasting and typesetting technologies to Indic scripts. So while some aspects of some Indic scripts may, with relative accuracy, be spoken of as ligatures in some font formats (e.g. the 'akhand' feature of OpenType that forms obligatory 'ligatures'), it is not necessary that Indic scripts require mapping of multiple characters to single glyphs. This is simply one model for rendering one aspect of Indic scripts. [As a parallel, consider Tom Milo's ligature-free approach to Arabic, another script widely and erroneously assumed to involve ligatures.]
3. As Rick has already alluded to re. Tibetan, it is far from necessary for all the *graphemes* of a script to be represented by individual, ligature glyphs. A grapheme may be composed of single glyphs and/or ligatures combined with dynamically positioned mark glyphs. Building or even cataloguing every possible grapheme -- every combination of base glyph, ligature and mark(s) in a script -- is an incredibly inefficient approach to Indic rendering.
4. Cataloguing and publishing known consonant conjunct forms for Indic scripts is a good idea and a worthwhile goal, which would indeed be a valuable resource for font developers. Michael Everson has indicated that he has what he considers a comprehensive list for Devanagari, and I probably have something close to comprehensive in my own files and books. However, William should not delude himself that such a catalogue would represent all that is necessary to rendering Indic scripts in the technologies that interest him. Once you have the conjuncts catalogued, and have identified subsets of conjuncts that are appropriate to the languages that you intend to support, you still need to implement shaping and positioning for matras relative to every base glyph and every conjunct.
William writes: '...I do not have any skills at Indian languages.' While some may find his enthusiasm admirable, it would be a good idea for him to develop such skills before he starts writing papers on implementing such languages for digital interactive broadcasting or any other technology.
John Hudson
Tiro Typeworks www.tiro.com Vancouver, BC [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Anyone who has both children and house pets has surely noticed that the children exposed to language will develop language, in turn, whereas the house pets will not. - Stephen Pinker
