Subject: Re: [lojban] Computing in lojbanistan

From: Brook Conner <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2000 19:59:14 -0400

[ okay - catching up with email - I'm a single dad for the summer :-]

"LYlun.martins." wrote:
> I'd like to invite experient lojbanists who use Unix, GNU/Linux
> or similar systems, and use software internationalized trough
> potfiles (such as most GNU/Linux software), to translate some
> potfiles to lojban.

[....]

I've been thinking this myself. While you suggest GNOME, I've been
looking at Mozilla and KDE.

[....]

> It can also be a powerful learning tool, if you're already used
> enough to the software to know what does each function by heart
> - you will at least learn "File", "Edit" and "Help" in lojban
> soon enough ;-)

This brings up a thought I had when writing my Emacs lojban mode. Are
the names on a UI commands? Labels? Nouns? Of course, the answer is "it
depends" but many cases don't seem clear.

Let's take "File" "Edit" and "Help" - are they commands (as in
"Application, File something!") or categorical labels? In English, at
least, File seems like a category, and a poor one at that. Quit is
usually there, but what does "quit" have to do with "file"? Edit is at
least a collection of commands - cut, copy, select, paste. 

Why does this matter? It's the difference between menus starting with
"la" and menus starting with "ko" (or ending - hey, cool).

Another thought about doing this is place order. Today's WIMP (windows,
icons, menus, pointing) interfaces can be VSO, SOV and SVO. Selecting a
tool in a paint program is selecting a verb first, with a canvas as
subject or object you use after you've "stated" the verb. Selecting a
menu item like "cut" is verb last - it acts on the selection (the
subject or object).

Hmmm. Battery low. More later.

Brook