The AmlMaple 3.49 GOTD-version no supports free updates. You can buy full version at 50% discount. Use discount coupon code: GOTD here http://amlpages.com/am_buy.shtml

It was very helpful for me since I'am always switching between 3 languages..
But, today (18 november), an update screen poped out and when I installed the new version it didn't activate at all.. so I lost the old registration..
I know it's normal since, usually the GOTD softs doesn't support update
but I think I was mislead by their message, something like: "In case of update, you registration info won't be lost..."

instructions say to click on icon in system tray, but it's not there!
So, what do i do now? Also, why not use the registration feature that is accessible directly from the opening screen of the program? As per non-GAOTD instructions, i dragged and dropped the keydata file to the AML Maple folder in the Program (x86) directory but nothing changed. also tried dragging and dropping it to the registration screen above, but again nothing changed. i am running 64-bit Win7 if that matters, but i almost never have any problem with GAOTD offers, unlike this one. Something's got to be wrong somewhere, but i don't have a clue what. Do i have to reboot or something? is an instruction missing? Please contact me if at all possible before the trial expires. Thank you.

Coming a bit late today to find an original software. Frankly, I'm a bit confused.

It cannot be about my keyboard layout because I use a customized layout made with the infamous Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator, in order to handle several European languages. So, I have only one keyboard layout, and only one language defined at a time.

If I use an Mexican computer with a Spanish layout to write in English, what this would tell me? "sp" or "en"? Same question when typing this whole sentence containing the Spanish expression "¡hola! ¿qué tal?"

If you use multiple languages requiring different keyboard layouts you already know how to switch layouts with Ctrl-F2 or else. It's unlikely you'll type 3 words consecutively in the wrong language, unless you never watch the screen while typing. It it happens, you know what to do ---no special app needed.

I find the indicator intrusive, be it a flag, two letters or in Technicolor. Is it really necessary to have a "|ru" after the word "русский"? (Note the "ru" is in English, not in Russian). Then, if I type 俄 罗 斯 的, do I really need too know which keyboard layout is used?

But some people here seem to like to have a "|en" following each letter they type. For the fun, I can type this WOЯD with my customized layout. How would this program react?

I won't give this GOTD a thumb down because of its originality but it deserves one for its uselessness, excepted maybe to the one who switch keyboard layouts accidentally all the time (say every 2 or 3 letters).

#39 @rww
To "find where the french (or other language) accents are when typing french names on an english only labelled keyboard"
on Windows machine press (WinKey+R), type osk or osk.exe into the 'run' box, push 'enter' - all your umlauts are there! This is built in Windows. Have fun!

#42 David: I have a similar problem in XP: I will try to type a double quote (") and get an "at" sign (@)and then find that the keyboard layout has changed on its own from "English (United States)" to "English (UK)" . . . unfortunately, both show up in the system tray as "EN" so the first indication it's switched on its own is the one mentioned. And I have the same reaction as #10 Jack Amano "scream $%^%$&^8!!," especially when whatever I'm entering requires the correct punctuation and an error message results after I hit "Enter" or whatever. Unless today's program distinguishes between the two varieties of English better than the indicator in the system tray does, though, it probably won't help that problem. (I wish I could figure out why it switches on its own and stop it, but that's probably not relevant to today's giveaway . . . )

http://www.randyrants.com/2011/12/sharpkeys_35.html

This is the latest version.

Download SharpKeys 3.5: MSI | ZIP | requires .NET Framework 4.0

23.If they want to make this popular , then add a function to easily disable the caps lock key …

Comment by eddy —
Have you tried SharpKeys 3.5 to disable your caps lock?

Not only can you disable it, you can convert it into a useful key.
I converted my caps lock into a Left Hand Enter key.
My tilde key ~ into a Left Hand Backspace key.
My left hand windows key into a Left Hand Delete key.

@#18 & #19 Giovanni:
How's this for a free alternative?
Free Language Indicator
QFW [Quote From Website]: "Language Indicator is a program that show current keyboard layout indicator as a flag. The program shows a country flag image of active keyboard language."

In central Europe (as in other parts of the world, no doubt) many people grow up with five to seven languages, some of which have additional squiggles such as the cedilla and circumflex.

A program such as this could save a lot of annoyance on a shared computer, or, as described by Jack Amano #10, when one person uses multiple languages.

Thanks GOTD for making a specialised accessory available, I'll tell my Chinese and Japanese friends.

"Thumbs Down" in this case evidently means 'Not For Me' rather than being a reflection on the developers. I give it a thumbs up.

For Virtual Keyboard & related programs here is a page worth a visit:
http://keyboard-indicator.winsite.com/more/2/

The free alternative website again:
http://www.languageindicator.com/download.html

I might find this useful for two languages I work in,... But I'm having difficulty entering the key information. We are provided with the data info for this, but copy and paste doesn't work. What do they mean by drag the key? It doesn't seem to be dragable. I hope someone will clarify this required step.

This is a perfect example of a developer not using funds to hire an English speaker to promote the website. This happens a lot. No matter how good the software is, you NEED to market it. This software is great but is marketed very badly. Based on the description I have no idea what it is, that is if I didn't know. I lot of good software comes from the East. Very few companies spend the money to market said software to the West properly.

#36 ric
Your comment is not relevant. Aml Maple is about changing layout, not language of OS.

#37 Alex
I have no problems here. Everything works perfectly: flag doesn't disappear and changes immediately when I switch layout. Also I type this comment in Firefox - no problems.

Windows 7 x64

Wonderful program.

In Russia we often switch keyboard layout between Russian and English. Typing in wrong layout is common problem: you type text then you look at display only to see abracadabra there. Very annoying.

Aml Maple helps to see layout before typing. Very useful.

Yes, there is standard indicator but it doesn't help much. Even if taskbar is visible (my taskbar is hidden), it is incovenient to look at the corner of display each time you switch layout (keep in mind that it's common to mix Russian and English words in one sentence).

P.S. People, what is wrong with you? "Aml Maple indicates the active layout being currently used (the language you are typing at this particular moment)." Perfectly clear description. If you do not need this just skip this program. Why whining about "useless" program?

This program was too difficult to install. The key data would not drag to the enter key dialog box. so I uninstalled the program.

Nice software, however it seems it doesn't work with software like IE/Firefox, Outlook or Word or even Notepad. I can see the flag of the selected language when I hoover the cursor over the aforementioned products however I don't see the language indicator when typing(in Skype, for example, I could see it fine).
Oh, and when I open/close Aml Maple settings window the computer freezes for a second or two. The OS is W7 x64.

I type in various languages, but they're all Roman alphabet languages. In a case like mine, all you need is a "US International" keyboard config. All the various accents and curlicues and whatnot, can be achieved by typing the corresponding two-key combination, or else the good old 3-digit ASCII codes from the keypad. The latter can even be done on a standard keyboard, if memory serves.

#31, Rich: You suggested that the developer add some additional text to the description to make it easier for you to understand what it does. They could, but it would be rather pointless...it's one of those products that has a limited audience, and if you're in that audience then you would have understood the description (which I thought was quite clear).

@ #34, ric: I wish my Windows 8 would require me to specifically make "many deliberate actions by the user" to switch keyboard language/layout. For some reason mine switches on its own, occasionally, in fact rather more often when using Office; and the system tray is not always visible, for example while playing games. So, yeah it's not a revolutionary program but it can be a godsend for some people.
@rww there's a page at microsoft.com that shows the keyboard layouts:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/goglobal/bb964651.aspx select the language from the drop down.

I use 3 languages switching between layouts quite often. For thise who don't do thus it might seem all you need is a marker. Actually the physical keyboard has all languages etched in the plastic but you don't always know what you get until you press the button. This is especially problematic when entering passwords. I have often entered passwords that were rejected because I had typed it in the wrong language without being able to see the characters I had typed.

I still don't understand the purpose for this software.Is it:-
When i start typing an english letter , the curson turn red.
If any other language then it would be blue.
But is the basic principle of this program, i an dumbfounded.
Any one explain, reading their description, only makes understanding this thing complex.
Anyone.

Nice idea, but of limited use:

The idea is that, for those of us writing in several languages and changing the keyboard, you should be able to get a visual cue of what layout are you currently using, just by looking at the cursor, without having to move your eyes to the bottom-right of the screen. Example: German layout has Z where US layout has Y, and instead of []'\ you get ü+ä#. If you typed someting in one layout, then forgot to change to your "default", you'll find youself typing umlauts instead of brackets.

Now: the program works as advertised, displaying a flag (language code did not work for me) only in some of the really useful programs: you can have it working in Notepad or Windows Explorer, in Internet Explorer (for those who are using this arcane software...), Office 2007, but not in Chrome or Firefox.

So, depending on where you type most (Office or Web Browsers) it may be helpful or not.

So my major gripes are:
- does not work with Chrome or FireFox
- the flags disappear after a short inactivity. When you start typing again, you don't know what layout you are in, until you start typing
- upon changing the layout, the flag does not change until you start typing,so you get the wrong message, that the layout did not change, which, needless to say, it's misleading.

For those trying to register, please note that you have copy the keydata file to the program folder. Otherwise during registration, the software looks for this keydata file.

Tested it.
Result: Not useful to me. There was some problem with Windows OS.

Uninstalled it immediately.

• Most misunderstood concept about this software:
AML Maple does not change keyboard layout for you.
It merely indicates status after you have made the change.

• It did indicate the other language with the correct flag after I switched Windows language. However I did not change keyboard layout.

• Windows has a way of entering the foreign language by way of typing in romanised letters whereupon a row of suggested characters are shown each with a corresponding number. You key in the appropriate number and the selected character is typed in the document by Windows.

• Under Windows OS, the system tray has always clearly indicated the change in Windows language. So no need for AML Maple.

• This additional visual aid is superfluous. Because change of language in Windows is not accidental. It happens because of many deliberate actions by the user. You know you are in the other language.

• Lastly, I noticed that this software did interfere with the Windows OS. It was not possible to switch the language back to previous when AML Maple was running. You had to exit the software first. Only then can you change the language back.

• It is distracting and the user may not want to see the colourful flag all the time.

Thank you GAOTD for this program. I am constantly switching between Hebrew and English and I frequently make mistakes by typing in the wrong language. Not looking at the keyboard, I don't always notice at first and then have to redo everything, so this program promises to be a superb time-saver! Concerning the issue of the position, size and color of the cursor and language indicator, these are fully configurable so this really ought not to be a problem. On the negative side I found the registration process to be totally mystifying and it took me a long time to figure out what was required. The online screenshots were no help at all. For anyone encountering the same problem, copy the keydata file into the folder of the installed program. By the way the installed program is not 10MB in size but is well under 2MB.

I restarted my PC and then registered successfully. Great program, very useful for people using different languages.

I love GiveAways like this. I had no idea of what this software enables a user to do by the description. I read the comments from others and they are just as confused. Toward the middle of the wad of comments comes some clarity.

I think that just this thread of comments will be a major help to the developer. Please, please read them and add two clear sentences to the description if you are going o market this.

It actually was double fun this morning. Giovanni was graciously stumped to find a freebee for us as well. Or, is he just being coy?

I'll pass on this one, although it looks like a great help for the folks who keyboard in multiple languages.

Giovanni ~ Duhhh ~ Because many programs disrupt our computers so we don't just download everything that comes our way, that's why.
After reading what the provider has written about this program I'd have to say you'd be pretty careless to download/install it.

FANTASTIC! This is great for people who regularly type in two languages, when you insert a single word or phrase in the second language and need an accent/symbol/letter not in the main language you are writing in. Especially Hebrew/Arabic (right-to-left) or Asian languages. Writing in Enlish with occasional Hebrew (and vice-versa), it is sometimes difficult to select numbers because of the different directions. Very helpful to see throughout the document if some of your numbers are in the 'wrong' language. Also, in a Hebrew document, I sometimes want numbers in an English font. This app would be helpful here to. I think in today's global world, there are many people who use two languages in a single document.

Why does this software exist?

Surely to goodness anyone typing frequently in another language, surely they would have another Keyboard IN that Language, with the correct letters on the keys, both please with USB plugs that interchange just -- like -- that. Plug and play - like

If you need a coloured visual reminder of what language you are typing in, then I also have a felt marker just for you.

this may suit me, i had to buy a machine while overseas, it has has spanish as its main language, which is a pain in the butt as i dont know a word of it, this may save me using some not so english words at times.

Very narrow crowd this is being marketed to... Excellent tool for translators though, or multilingual folks that need to type in different languages frequently.... For what it is, it may very well be one of the best utilities out there.

12 Gordon
If you do not need a 10MB program to tell you in which language you type then try today’s download it’s only 1.3 MB :-)

Honnza (#3), if you want a less-intrusive keyboard, type "KB1500U" into your favorite search engine. It's only 11" x 5".

I use multi-language keyboards. They are regular US-English keyboards with foreign language letters on stickers for each key. I buy these stickers on ebay. This program does something I've been needing. On the fly language switching for my keyboard layouts. That's the main use for this program.
I hope this clears up some confusion for everybody.

Always bugs me that people who have no use for a niche program need to tell the world they won't use it..
If you write in many languages, this is extremely useful.

If they want to make this popular , then add a function to easily disable the caps lock key ...

ComfortKeys (http://www.comfort-software.com/features-hotkey-manager.html) is not freeware (although it was featured on GAotD) but it does this and whole lot of other things that make using the keyboard really comfortable, and its "lite" versions cost is almost the same as of "aml maple".

When you, for example, just type in English or German you don't need it really. However, if switching from these languages to Ivrit, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, etc. it may appear a very useful tool.

This is a perfect program to send coded messages!

(as long as the receiver has the same program)!

# 6. Bub

^_^ .... you got it right...LOL!

For the first time in history no FREE alternatives todays...don't know any (I won't be able to sleep tonight...LOL!)!

Any help please?

Dudes, when the blurb is confusing as in this case, why not try the software yourselves, instead of asking others what's about?

Can't understand why you are so lazy...

If you are scared to make changes to your registry use "Toolwiz Time Freeze" for testing it in a virtual environment!

In short it's indicator for the currently used keyboard layout language...it gives you an indication of a text's language instantly.

As GAOTD it's OK and pretty much handy when for instance you wonder what kind of language you stumbled upon when you reach a webpage written in a different language than yours (in fact whenever you click on the language it shows you a small abbreviation for it).

Useful only for those who often need to switch their keyboard layout between multiple languages (for instance people who know more than one language).

If you know just one language (English) and need only the English keyboard layout, this GAOTD is obviously totally useless.

THUMBS UP from me!

People who often have to type in more than one language know how frustrating is to remember to toggle the selection after you have started typing.

I haven't used it yet but it seems to me like a good idea. It would be even better, though, if it provided typing systems and indicated the currently selected one (querty etc.) and if (like what Svend Ostergaard suggested) it provided spelling correction for various languages.

I do not need a 10MB program to tell me in which language I type. And I do not need it to constantly remind me what language is it. the constant indicator is bothering.
to # 6 "Bub" > I am sure Giovanni will not be able to find an alternative list because this program is useless, so I guess there would not be many vendors trying to create such an application. Also It seems like Giovanni is a sensible guy and I enjoy his posts, with today giveaway, why bother? there is no need to waste time.

For "Touch Typists" (who don't have to look "Back-and-Forth" from the Keyboard to the Monitor), this program may provide only minimal usefulness. HOWEVER, for those who have still (or not yet) "honed" their Typing skills, it could save a lot of time!!!
I have 3 keyboards set up (US English, Chinese Simplified and Chinese Traditional) and occasionally the "hotkey" gets pressed accidentally that changes the layout from English to Chinese (thus resulting in the "gobbledygook" mentioned by "Bub" (above).
That can be especially frustrating if I have just typed out a long sentence or paragraph and then look up to the monitor ONLY to see that I have a string of Chinese Characters instead of what I had intended to type!
If this program works as I understand, then I would be ecstatic if y English keyboard (Mouse) pointer remains BLACK, while my Chinese keyboard (Mouse) pointers are RED (as an Example) !!!
For those of you who ONLY use (or have a need for) ONE "Keyboard Layout", then this GiveAway will be useless for you unless you can recommend it to a friend for whom it WILL be useful!
That's MY 2 cents!

On a side note, I think it's an important lesson for a software developer (including myself) that users can be confused even about what your app actually DOES, and have troubles grasping rather basic IT concepts such as "keyboard layout" etc. See the comments above

I can't register, I paste the strings in , but the OK still gray.

But even as evaluation demo, I see what it does.
As I'm using 2 languages keyboard, it puts a small flag next to the courser to indicate what language I'm on.

Why one needs it? there is the language bar at the bottom in XP and the courser has a small arrow on top to indicate direction of typing.

Not a keeper for me, maybe if you use many languages in other OS, XP handle this fine.

I actually like the idea, since I'm using a separate layout for Polish (my first language) and English - I'm getting "The file keydata not found" error every time I'm trying to enter the registration name and key (from readme.txt) and I can't proceed. Uninstalled.

I'm in translation work.
I need to type in two languages in same lines.
I'm supposed to always have an idea which keyboard is active.
For some reasons I often get lost and start typing in the other keyboard and scream $%^%$&^8!!.
"It is always in front of you, exactly at the place you are typing!" is so right, I wonder why I did not see this idea anywhere.
Keep going developer and thank you.

Sometimes I can't find my keyboard. Is this like a GPS? Does it tell me I am using my PS/2 or USB? This is important information to me when restarting and going into Safe Mode. There are times my cursor disappears from my screen after moving it. Where does it go? Does it tell me my computer is powered on?