Before continuing my series on the uses of LaTeX and unicode–enabled XeTeX, I should briefly cover how to input unicode characters on a Mac or Microsoft. (It should be noted that netiher of these options are neither free nor open.) On a Mac, the easiest and best program is SophoKeys. Download and follow instructions. I have used Windows XP's embedded support to somewhat satisfactory ends. Vista has something similar, though I have not used it. In future postings I will detail input on a Linux systems, in a how–to series for Classicists and Linux.

For a free and open font, I recommend starting with Gentium, which has an incredibly wide range of characters.