[Localization] [Fwd: Re: #7116 NORM Never A: Possible European G1G1 program needs appropriate keyboards]

[LASKE, Lionel (C2S)]

Hi all,

Just to add my one cent on the "appropriate keyboard issue":

My name is Lionel Laské. Like others people I love the OLPC Project. So like others, I talk a lot about OLPC, and I show the XO that I've bought via G1G1 (thanks to a good friend of mine in USA). Of course every people here which viewing my XO say "WOW" and say "where I can get mine ?". So it's really frustrated to say: "no way today". So yes, here in France like elsewhere in Europe, we're waiting for "our" G1G1 from month.

I think that G1G1 is a very good way to promote the OLPC project and to help the OLPC Foundation. But I really think that a G1G1 in France without a French keyboard is not a good idea.

Of course, French people are often arrogant and rude but they really love their language and they really love their accents: é, è, à, ô, ë and some other funniest. And French keyboard allow very easily to type accents.

My son (7 years old) use a XO since February. It took one month before he successfully typing one accent on the English keyboard. Thought he learn reading and writing this year at school I must confess that today, he forget very often to type accent in the Write activity.

Note also than no laptop are sold in France without a French keyboard. Nobody (except geeks may be) could seriously think to buy a computer here with a QWERTY keyboard.

I'm working with other guys to OLPC France Grassroot. Because XO is a great tool for children in every country, we try to promote the XO to the French government. I'm afraid that one of the first remark we've got could be: "Hmmm it's a funny machine, do you have a French Keyboard ?"

So, yes I'm really think that we need an appropriate keyboard in France, like in Deutschland, in Italy and in others countries.

My name is Lionel, Lionel Laské (please, don't miss the accent on my name).

Regards.


Lionel.

------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Sat, 31 May 2008 08:18:10 -0700
From: "Edward Cherlin" <echerlin at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Localization] [Fwd: Re: #7116 NORM Never A: Possible
        European        G1G1 program needs appropriate keyboards]
To: "Kim Quirk" <kim at laptop.org>, "Chuck Kane" <chuck at laptop.org>,
        "Nicholas Negroponte" <nn at media.mit.edu>
Cc: OLPC Localization list <localization at lists.laptop.org>,     OLPC Devel
        <devel at laptop.org>, Adam Holt <holt at laptop.org>,        "Community Support
        Volunteers -- who help respond to help AT       laptop.org"
        <support-gang at lists.laptop.org>
Message-ID:
        <e574f6eb0805310818t5e84bd10n3f7f0ba5aa245909 at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

On Fri, May 30, 2008 at 7:09 AM, Kim Quirk <kim at laptop.org> wrote:
> Adam and Support gang,
>
> A second G1G1 program will still be only US/International keyboards
> (http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Keyboard_layouts#US_International_keyboard).
> There are too many logistics, production, forecasting, and shipping
> issues associated with more than a couple of SKUs (different laptop
> configurations) for a G1G1 program.

I don't know whether that is acceptable to Europe. They want Cyrillic
(Bulgarian and Serbian layouts are completely different from each
other and from Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian, which are all quite
similar), Greek, and Eastern European (Czech, Slovak, Polish...are
nearly identical), at least. I can look up the standard layouts in
more detail if that will help. You need to specify exactly which
countries will be included in your version of Europe. Lithuania,
Latvia, and Estonia are EU members. So are Malta and Cyprus. Turkey is
a candidate. Croatia, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Serbia, Macedonia,
Montenegro, and Albania are not members.

You had better get the lawyers to check out EU regulations on computer
sales. I suppose that you can get away with printing only US
International on the keyboard as long as you say so, very clearly, in
the announcements and ads, and explain how to access the other layouts
in a document shipped with the laptops.

> But, from a languages perspective, It would be great to point
> translators for European languages (or any languages) to various ways
> in which they can help translate our wiki pages and add to the product
> translations through Pootle.

IFYP

> Here are some links:
> Localization of XO files: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Localization
> Translating wiki pages: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Translating
Pootle page, including table of localizers: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Pootle
Pootle: http://dev.laptop.org/translate
Localization mailing list at http://lists.laptop.org/

> Thanks,
> Kim
>
>
> On Thu, May 29, 2008 at 3:14 PM, Adam Holt <holt at laptop.org> wrote:
>> Dear Kim,
>>
>> Can we get some preliminary discussion going in the next couple weeks,
>> towards helping people set up fuller support
>> structure for those European languages?

Talk to me about any language support issues that management isn't handling.

>> Or if nothing else, an idea as to how many EU countries are liable to be
>> supported for 2008's G1G1?
>>
>> Whether it's 2 countries or 12 countries makes all the world of difference

Uh, actually there are 27 countries in the EU, and 8 candidates.
Non-members include Switzerland, Norway, and the new countries formed
from former Yugoslavia (except Slovenia).

>> ;)
>> --A!

%-[

--
Edward Cherlin
End Poverty at a Profit by teaching children business
http://www.EarthTreasury.org/
"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."--Alan Kay