Web pages/Debian/languages: Great!
Reply-To: roy.crabtree@alumni.unc.edu
On page http://www.debian.org/distrib/cd (and others) at the bottom,
languages list in proper symbology...
Great! Starting to be the case that the web is truly international (I prefer the terms WorldWide, Terran, Human, or RoR).
Stard inclusion: Well done! Stadard reference page: Well done! Pop ups in home language: Well done! [[MENTION THIS]].
With the current Netscape (latest 7.x) even the symbols arebeginning to display correctly (unless you are using graphics ...)
I suggest the following enhancements/improvements/changes:
I) It might be better to have language references at the TOP of the structure instead of the bottom.
At the least, have the "icon" modal format of it at the top (see 'II)' below)
II) A standardized presentation in minimal form would be better, to minimize the space taken up.
I would suggest:
^) A look-and-feel structure that is web site tunable, with pathing for context names and local workstation config by name//IP/cookie
A) A right click (or other launch method) for a drop down menu to select.
B) Country flag icon, Language icon, plus country name and language name
C) Presentation in the language currenlty in as well as the language going to
(including ordering as expected inn that language) by each column [country or language]
D) Re-sorting by column title bar (needed as the list grows), including forward/reverse aganst collation sequences (natie, nationals, & standard international)
E) The ability to change this at any point in the web tree at any time (already there)
F) Fallbacks for each presentation(icon to text, menu to subpanel to frame to new page/return
G) Approriate extension as needed for country/culture/context:
^) Do you default by IP address to country of origin or other content negotiation standard?
1) Japanese, two iconographies
2) Serbo Croatian & others, multiple alphabets
3) China & others, multiple languages
4) Some countries, multiple flags for multiple cultures or areas
5) Indonesia and others, cultural & cognitive contexts not included in flag/country/language:
Indonesia: Using negatives is a no-no
Navajo/Amerindian: Forms of address, lack of verbs, etc.
Many: Different world=view language=conginition maps needing other forms.
$) Sublanguages, fonts, symbol sets, and code pages (ick). Coming to a common consensus convention is the hard part.
H) You migt want to consider adding drop down menus (with alternates) for browser configuration to be done
automatically by the server (or at least to build a complete script or instruction file customized)
Much more easy for a novice to set up than to read through extended text instructions.
Also will take a bit more work on your part.
I) Places to get fonts and so forth for each manguage would be useful.
J) Attaching fonts, layout, presentation, systematic style sheets, & so forth
to menu drop downs off of window pane enhanced edging under
iconography (similar to pan/zoom/scroll, rotate/translate/scale, and min/max/move)
seems to be the way to go, with a method of getting help/description
$) Modal presentations, such as icon/text, slow or fast comm speed, firsttime/novice/intermediate/advanced/expert, to allow
minimal intrusion. Defaults to setup for first time introduction, etc.
You get the picture. You are already 90% there.
III) It would REALLY be nice of this was in a standardized place according to some standardized SSS (Schema Specified Somewhere).
IV) You might look into doing that as a look-and-fell that adds an EEE (Electronically Extended Enhanced) Edging to the SSS panel framings (such as menus, title/croll/tool bars, etc.).(as well as fallbacks!}.
Very straightforward to specify, takes a bit of web programming to provide the proper fallbacks.
Roy Andrew Crabtree
roy.crabtree@alumni.unc.edu
crabtreeroy@hotmail.com
royandrecrabtree@aol.com
Netscape, others
919-489-1157 US
USPS POB 9001 (mailing)
CHapel Hill. NC 27515-9001
3012 Mornstar Place (permanent)
Greensboro, NC 27514-6220
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