[Localization] Using Pootle

[Yama Ploskonka]

I am sorry.  Lists where "reply" doesn't default to the list are 
buggy.... :-)  (Yeah, I know it's an admin option to set, I've read the 
background religious war, I set the lists that >I> admin the other way, 
precisely to make it easier on users...)


Clytie Siddall wrote:
  Hi Yama :)

  You sent this to me privately, so I won't CC it to the OLPC list, but I
  think this discussion would be useful there. What do you think?


  Well, with free software like Pootle, we get a great deal for nothing.
  However, we do get back what we invest in time and effort. If you know
  anyone who would be willing to contribute Python-coding time to the
  Pootle project, that would be a huge help. They are doing all this on
  volunteer time, bar a couple of SoC projects.
>
>
> [Yama] Thus I am obsessive about looking at designing UIs from the lowest 
> common denominator principle, so the casual lurker actually does not 
> need any training at all, the interface is so intuitive.  Hopefully 
> that helps the person get hooked, and eventually we end up with a 
> wider team than the one we would have if people get scared away 
> because of a high entry cost.

  I agree that an intuitive UI is a huge help, and I've already made
  suggestions to improve the Pootle UI. Unfortunately, these suggestions
  need implementing, and I am now unable to code at all (brain damage due
  to illness). So we need to find people who will code for Pootle. See the
  roadmap [1]. Worthwhile goals and lots to do!

  You would be welcome to submit an updated UI layout for Pootle.

- I just might... Would certainly be easier than coding my own 
alternative :-)

> I must admit I haven't tried this out for translation work, but I have 
> found that teachers will become open and risk opinions in mailing 
> lists when the place is friendly, accepting, not geeky, or else they 
> feel out-of-place, and do not participate because they are afraid of 
> looking dumb when making mistakes.

  Yes, this works anywhere. I have found most i18n lists to be accepting
  and friendly, and it's one of my goals to keep them that way. ;)

  So, do you think we need to emphasize new users more on the OLPC
  Localization list?

- hmmm.  We do *need* to get new users into the loop.

- But we also do need to keep them free from getting overwhelmed by tech 
stuff and background issues that are necessary for the higher level 
developer / admin discussions (they could be part of that level at their 
discretion, but I know for a fact that new users tend to dislike their 
email inbox full of stuff they do not understand - guess at some level 
it makes them feel they are "not of the club", and nobody likes that).

- In principle we *do* have the Educators list, but so far have not been 
too effective at getting people there.  I've wanted for a while to split 
the Sur list in such a way as to really get a dynamic, user-based list, 
that deals with daily issues and short, to the point answers (high 
signal-to-noise), separate from another list (both of them open, of 
course) where tech, opinion and assorted other stuff get in, precisely 
to adapt with these social-dynamics behaviors, but it's been hard enough 
to get Sur, and I haven't felt ready to bug Samuel Klein for still 
another list.  Sur has pretty much ground to a halt because teachers 
using Gmail dislike having dozens of messages, so they have requested 
receiving their stuff as digests, and reading and responding to digests 
is a pain, especially when some people, bless their souls, reply a 
couple lines while copying the whole thing, which then gets into the 
next digest, making it utterly unreadable.

- Administering a list toward maximum participation, high 
signal-to-noise is an art, and I am not there yet, but I feel it coming :-)