[Localization] R: Localization Digest, Vol 16, Issue 17

Tue Jun 10 07:07:05 EDT 2008

Just two hints:
1. No more that 10 days ago I bought at a big electronic retail store (FNAC, not the cheapest usually)
a USB membrane 101 keys "rollable" keyboard for 9 € (with cable, connector & metal box). 
2. I remeber from a last year article, appeared somewhere, regarding hypothetical OLPC costs break-up, that all the box, apart from CPU, screen, battery, memory, and special feature chips was quoted something around 40$ (27 €).

It should be somewhere in between...

 ciao carlo 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 3
> Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:44:58 +0200
> From: "Gerard Meijssen"
> <gerard.meijssen at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Localization] localized keyboards for EU
> To: falko at vakat.de
> Cc: localization at lists.laptop.org
> Message-ID:
> 	<41a006820806100344u678fe51ct188256386741517d at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
> 
> Hoi,
> In some countries like the Netherlands, an international
> keyboard is what is
> generally available.. Other keyboard mappings are possible
> but they would
> not be what is considered default. When it is possible to
> order a second
> membrane, that would be awesome.
> 
> Any clue how much such an extra membrane would cost ?
> Thanks,
>       Gerard
> 
> On Tue, Jun 10, 2008 at 9:18 AM, <falko at vakat.de>
> wrote:
> 
> > just my input on this issue...
> >
> > i agree that there will have to be localized keyboards
> for a european G1G1!
> >
> > one crude and dirty hack that came to my mind was to
> just take the
> > existing membrane of the XOs and overprint them with a
> "blank" color and
> > than any keyboard layout we need. this could be
> accomplished by local
> > groups since the silkscreening process is a rather
> trivial one to get done
> > in our part of the world.
> >
> > that would be an alternative if it was an unacceptable
> effort to get the
> > blank original rubber keyboards shipped with each XO
> (which i still find
> > hard to believe) of the G1G1 europe.
> >
> > again as others have stated before i do not see any
> chance for the OLPC
> > project to be promoted successfully within europe if
> we can only show
> > interested parties (especially school personal) XOs
> with a US-keyboard.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > > It is my opinion that this is a great roadmap to
> deal with the problem.
> > >
> > > I have requested Kim Quirk to help contact
> whomever is the one with
> > > power to make this happen (would that be Chuck?).
> > >
> > > It would help probably if someone among the
> interested parties (Lask?,
> > > someone in DE, CH, IT, etc) could wikifi this and
> somehow keep it alive
> > > among the Europeans (copy to your own lists) and
> keep us apprised if
> > > this idea would work for y'all at least sort
> of.
> > >
> > > I agree it would be better an EU G1G1 would have
> localized keyboards
> > > built in, but find that unlikely, yet OLPC tends
> to change its mind, so
> > > we can always hope.  If it doesn't happen,
> Chris' idea would work.
> > >
> > > Another similar alternative would be to buy blank
> membranes off the OLPC
> > > supplier and then ourselves take charge of the
> rest of the process,
> > > which technologically would assure much better
> quality for the keyboards
> > > than anything I can fashion out of silicone.
> > >
> > > Yama
> > >
> > > Chris Leonard wrote:
> > >>
> > >> On Mon, Jun 9, 2008 at 11:00 AM, Carlo
> Falciola <cfalciola at yahoo.it
> > >> <mailto:cfalciola at yahoo.it>> wrote:
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>      What about to delivery plain intn'l
> machines with default keyboard
> > >>     and then set up some stocks of
> nationalized keyboards (FR, DE, IT,
> > >>     GR, etc.. ) and offer them at a price
> that's commisurated to the
> > >>     production cost of the keyboard itself
> (and the planned numbers),
> > >>     not burdening at all XO production?
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> I sincerely hope the OLPC has learned some
> lessons from the first G1G1
> > >> program.  While it seems clear enough that
> the logistics of providing a
> > >> "factory-localized" laptop are very
> likely insurmountable, it also seems
> > >> clear that shipping only US International
> keyboard to an EU-focused G1G1
> > >> program will NOT be well received and will
> only bring accusations of
> > >> cultural and linguistic imperialism and the
> like to an organization that
> > >> should be earning praise for it's efforts
> to make computing in local
> > >> languages possible.
> > >>
> > >> There must be a third path. Imagine instead a
> different sort of G1G1
> > >> process that incorporates Carlo's
> suggestion.  The  web-site for an EU
> > >> G1G1 program clearly explains some of the
> XO's remarkable flexibility
> > >> (both in hardware and in software) and the
> immense level of control
> > >> handed over to the user.
> > >>
> > >> EU donors order their G1G1 in a selection of
> several languages (en, fr,
> > >> es, de, it, however many are relevant and
> feasible).  It is clearly
> > >> explained that what the donor will receive is
> a US International
> > >> formatted XO and an envelope containing the
> keyboard membrane for the
> > >> language of their choice along with a
> beautifully illustrated brochure
> > >> explaining how to swap keyboard membranes,
> the brochure to be localized
> > >> in the same language as the keyboard. The
> brochure will also explain how
> > >> to use a newly created activity called
> LocalizeMyXO.
> > >>
> > >> LocalizeMyXO comes pre-installed in the EU
> G1G1 image.  The user changes
> > >> the keyboard membrane using the supplied
> hard-copy directions and then
> > >> clicks on one of the flags displayed by the
> LocalizeMyXO activity as
> > >> described in the brochure.  The LocalizeMyXO
> activity reaches out to a
> > >> controlled location on OLPC servers (or
> mirrors in EU) and in a scripted
> > >> fashion, performs all of the necessary steps
> to re-localize the laptop
> > >> to the relevant language, switches keyboard
> settings, downloads a fresh
> > >> image with the right Pootle strings,
> including activities, etc.
> > >> LocalizeMyXO does all of this without any
> substantial user intervention
> > >> once the language has been selected.  The
> LocalizeMyXO activity stays
> > >> available, and if the donor wants to switch
> back, they just click on
> > >> another flag.
> > >>
> > >> This requires no special logistics in
> manufacturing, other than
> > >> preparing some additional membranes in
> various languages and adding the
> > >> proposed LocalizeMyXO activity to the image. 
> There would need to be
> > >> better logistics on the distribution end, but
> we knew that already.  The
> > >> language choice field have to be tracked by
> the hopefully much improved
> > >> donor tracking/shipping system (it should not
> be guessed from ship to
> > >> address).  The packing and shipping operation
> will need to drop the
> > >> correct envelope into the correct box. 
> Distribution processing could be
> > >> bulk sorted into several streams (by language
> packet) to make it
> > >> simpler.  Let's say you do a different
> language every day, in rotation,
> > >> for the heavy phase of the shipping cycle to
> avoid slighting any one
> > >> language group, or do it for several days,
> whatever, just don't leave
> > >> one language group to the bitter end.
> > >>
> > >> Net result, G1G1 donors ultimately get the
> localized machine they want
> > >> for their Get One.  They know upfront they
> will have to do a little work
> > >> (keyboard membrane change), but the logistics
> of manufacturing runs and
> > >> cost savings have been clearly and politely
> explained to them in
> > >> advance and they knowingly opt in.  They gain
> the experience of how
> > >> easily an XO keyboard is swapped (beauty of
> hardware design) and how
> > >> cleanly a localization change can be
> performed, if executed in
> > >> more-or-less one-click fashion by
> LocalizeMyXO (beauty of software
> > >> design).  OLPC distributes the accumulated
> Give Ones to children without
> > >> buying itself a totally unnecessary public
> relations nightmare.
> > >>
> > >> Final score:
> > >> Get One Donor, Win.
> > >> Give One Child, Win.
> > >> OLPC, Win.
> > >>
> > >> Additional mfg costs:
> > >> Must factor extra membranes into cost.  Make
> mfg/distribution cost of
> > >> membrane explicit.  Need to create
> LocalizeMyXO activity, it would be a
> > >> variation on theme of scripts/procedures
> already existing for updating
> > >> to newer builds (Update.1 and after) and for
> re-installing G1G1 bundles
> > >>
> > >> Additional distribution costs:
> > >> These would need to be factored in as well. 
> If a competent EU-savvy
> > >> distributor is selected, these should be
> relatively modest and can be
> > >> rolled into membrane upcharge.
> > >>
> > >> I'm a North American G1G1 donor, and
> while it took longer than I had
> > >> hoped to get my XO, I got it and I'm very
> happy with it.  It got me to
> > >> work on contributing to OLPC (mostly on wiki,
> focused on content, not
> > >> code).  That's the sort of "fringe
> benefit" you want to get from a G1G1
> > >> program.  How can OLPC expect to draw in
> volunteers, (we could certainly
> > >> use more translators), if you only "talk
> the talk" of i18n/l10n and do
> > >> not "walk the walk".  The current
> state of upkeep on www.laptop.org
> > >> <http://www.laptop.org/>, particularly
> translations is bad enough a
> > flag
> > >> of shame as it is (by way of example, the
> English language version lists
> > >> Walter Bender as President, Software and
> Content,
> > >> http://www.laptop.org/vision/people/).
> > >>
> > >> Please don't make the blunder of failing
> to offer  some sort of language
> > >> options to an EU G1G1 program, that can only
> make OLPC look greedy for
> > >> the money, contemptuous of the donors and
> culturally and linguistically
> > >> incompetent to perform it's self-declared
> mission.
> > >>
> > >> With regards and concern,
> > >>
> > >> http://wiki.laptop.org/go/User:Cjl
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >>
> > >>
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> End of Localization Digest, Vol 16, Issue 17
> ********************************************

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