Re: [tlug] Japanese page has been revised

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <stephen@example.com>]

>>>>> "Scott" == Scott Robbins <scottro@example.com> writes:

    >> since these days a lot of Linux software Just Works [tm]. But,
    >> as most of us have experienced, Japanese input often doesn't
    >> J.W., so end users often need a bit more knowledge to set it
    >> up.

    Scott> Heh, well if Stephen doesn't know, I just shrug and give
    Scott> up.  (Sorry Stephen, I realize you have better things to
    Scott> do.)

"I'm touched by your faith, my son."  ;-)

Seriously, there's a hell of a lot I don't know at this point.  I
settled on XEmacs + Canna as my primary nihongo input method in 1997
(and I'd been using Canna since 1992 or so, before there was an XEmacs
or Mule or even Linux).  If things are still so fscked that people can
say "no, Japanese input doesn't Just Work," maybe it's time to write
another book.  But I'll have to research the new methods and APIs like
anthy and IIIMF, get my hands on ATOK and WnnVersionNumberDuJour,
etc.

Or maybe I'll give up on getting it straightened out and just write a
Tools/Attitude piece on Japanese software development practice in the
OSS community.  :-)

Matt Gushee, I guess? writes:

    >> I don't know about that. The developers of a system often have
    >> trouble understanding what end users need to know about it,
    >> whereas users who do the right research can often write very
    >> good documentation.

Typically what you need is a developer who doesn't have enough time to
get involved in development, and so remains a "mere user" for the package.  ;-)

    Scott> As you said, Japanese (and I assume the CK of CJK) is often complex.

I wonder about C and K.  I know very little about the C and K OSS
communities, heck, I don't even know if there are significant ones at
all.  But what I do know of Koreans and Chinese I suspect they're less
likely to be willing to maintain long-lived "localization patches" and
dozens of almost compatible FEPs and dictionary servers and so on.
But the Japanese have proved themselves to be willing to do for two
decades now.


-- 
School of Systems and Information Engineering http://turnbull.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp
University of Tsukuba                    Tennodai 1-1-1 Tsukuba 305-8573 JAPAN
               Ask not how you can "do" free software business;
              ask what your business can "do for" free software.