I'm using TeXlive (2009-7) on Ubuntu 10.04. I've installed texlive-lang-arabic and I can't find out how should I compose the preamble to be able to use it. The babel's documentation I've found in the Internet http://www.tug.org/texlive/Contents/live/texmf-dist/doc/generic/babel/ is probably out-of-date (September 2009), because Arabic is not mentioned as supported language, and aptitude show texlive-lang-arabic gives as the result:
This package includes the following CTAN packages:
arabi -- (La)TeX support for Arabic and Farsi, compliant with Babel.
arabtex -- Macros and fonts for typesetting Arabic.
hyphen-arabic --
hyphen-farsi --
I could't find any documentation of the newly installed package. I'm even not sure if the package allows what I want, i.e. writing using Arabic script directly and not, as it was the case with arabtex, in transcription (and Arabic script was appearing only in output).
If I've missed some relevant information, I can complete my question.
UPDATE
Thanks for everybody. First of all, I've tried to apply Mustail's solution. I've composed the preamble based on his example (mostly the same, just without Persian). I run for it XeLaTeX. Compilation failed, the .log file said that I need xetex package. I had texlive-xetex installed and xetex is mentioned as part of it. Searching further in the Internet I've found that all information about XeLaTeX I can find not match with my LaTeX installation.
I've decided to try the solution proposed by Caramdir and I've made a new TeX Live installation following the instruction in the link. I can't compile any file as I don't have LaTeX nor pdfLaTeX installed and I don't want to install it in other way I've installed TeX Live. In the documentation about installation I've found that I should run tlmgr to manage my LaTeX installation, but I can't do it, command not found.
I have still previous installation of TeX Live on one computer, I can test both (by aptitude and downloaded from tug.org).
Maybe I should post another question concerning installation of TeX Live from tug.org, but I try first here, maybe it's not a real problem but just an omission of something obvious from my part.
UPDATE 2
I was trying to compile Mehro's exemple document (using instalation of LaTeX from Ubuntu packages), without succes. This is the terminal's output (starting from first warning):
Package polyglossia Warning: No hyphenation patterns were loaded for `arabic'
(polyglossia) I will use the patterns loaded for \language=0
(polyglossia) instead on input line 7.
) (./mehro.aux)
kpathsea: Running mktextfm
/usr/share/texmf/web2c/mktexnam: Could not map source abbreviation 6 for 600.
/usr/share/texmf/web2c/mktexnam: Need to update /usr/share/texmf-texlive/fonts/map/fontname/special.map?
mktextfm: Running mf-nowin -progname=mf \mode:=ljfour; mag:=1; nonstopmode; input
This is METAFONT, Version 2.718281 (TeX Live 2009/Debian)
kpathsea: Running mktexmf
! I can't find file `'.
<*> \mode:=ljfour; mag:=1; nonstopmode; input
Please type another input file name
! Emergency stop.
<*> \mode:=ljfour; mag:=1; nonstopmode; input
Transcript written on mfput.log.
grep: .log: No such file or directory
mktextfm: `mf-nowin -progname=mf \mode:=ljfour; mag:=1; nonstopmode; input ' failed to make .tfm.
kpathsea: Appending font creation commands to missfont.log.
! Font \zf@basefont="" not loadable: Metric (TFM) file or installed font not fo
und.
<to be read again>
\zf@family@fontdeflmr
l.15 ...abic: \textarabic{السلام عليكم}
? ^C! Interruption.
<argument> ...@family@fontdef\f@family \endcsname
" at \f@size pt \zf@check@...
I had a look in Polyglossia documentation, but I didn't find there nothing what could help me to compile document.
It seems I have more general problem with fonts for XeTeX. Fontspec documentation opens but should lack of some fonts as I see white gaps in some places. The termial output is quite long and consist almost of 'error' messages. This are just few lines of it:
Error: Missing language pack for 'Adobe-Japan1' mapping
Error: Unknown font tag 'F5.1'
Error (24124): No font in show
Error: Unknown font tag 'F5.1'
UPDATE 3
I have maneged to install Linux Liberation O and Scheherazade via Ubuntu Sotware Center (although I still can't understand why I could't do that via Synaptic nor aptitude…), so Meho's and Alan's exemple files are compiled succesfully.
Documentation became readable after installation of poppeler data. I'm still not able to compile Mustail's exemple file, but having acces to documentation I can try to solve it.
Thanks a lot for everybody for your help.
Best Answer
I usually use XeLaTeX with Polyglossia. A quick example: