Hi Everyone, Following is some thoughts I have on this and related issues. In no particular order...
**Issue 1 -- gvSIG is a product of Spain** gvSIG was developed and is used primarily in Spain. Naturally the primary language used by developers, content creators and users is Spanish. If gvSIG Association/Organization wishes to extend the reach of this package it needs to commit time and money to this cause rather than relying solely on the non-Spanish speaking community. Spanish-speaking people have the advantage of manuals, tutorials, videos, an unambiguous GUI, etc. A head start; a footing. Non-Spanish-speaking people lack these basic resources. What is available is piece meal translations from Spanish to a variety of other languages. The Non-Spanish-speaking community struggles because it does not have a strong footing. The gvSIG Association/Organization should decide what other language is understood by the countries they wish to expand into then employ some one - a person that speaks that language natively - to work with the main teams to create core content for use by the broader community and later help coordinate further contributions by the community in that language. Recommendation -- gvSIG Association/Organization should clarify whether it wishes to expand into non-Spanish-speaking countries. If it does, it should employ someone to work with the developers, content creators and non-Spanish-speaking community. **Issue 2 -- Content creation is hard** Something else I think is pertinent to this discussion - content creation workflow. To be honest the system employed by gvSIG Association/Organization to coordinate its content creation and manage derivatives like translations is cumbersome. I have been involved with this process and it is painful. Recommendation:-- If gvSIG Association/Organization wishes to build community it should update its Content Management System and develop better workflows to manage translations. **Issue 3 -- Content creation is time consuming** Content creation is time consuming. Despite my efforts to create good content I have been unable to sustain a constant output and still earn a living. Ideally core content should be created by someone who is able to commit 100% of their time, not Saturday afternoon after the kids soccer practice. Recommendation:-- gvSIG Association/Organization should commit money to employing someone to coordinate, standardize and contribute core non-Spanish content. **Issue 4 -- Bridging the language barrier** Content in Spanish can not be translated directly into other languages, or visa versa. Content in a particular language needs to be vetted to ensure the content reads properly by someone that natively speaks that language. In addition, you need someone that understands Spanish and the language the content is translated into, so the intent of the text can be verified. Any CMS needs to effectively manage text, media and contributors written in or using many different languages **My preferences** gvSIG Association/Organization commits to creating all new content in Spanish and English. gvSIG Association/Organization employs someone to specifically coordinate creation of English content, coordinate in cooperation with other Spanish team members the translation, standardization and distribution of core content in English. gvSIG Association/Organization looks at updating, or developing, a new CMS designed for easy creation of content in Spanish and a variety of other languages. All existing content should be imported into this system and translated as soon as practical. **For the record** I think the bulk of the English content available on gvSIG is basic. It shows just enough. If we ever expect gvSIG to be adopted in English-speaking countries detail content on all core functions should be developed. On 24/05/13 22:33, Wolfgang Qual wrote: > Hello Viqui (and all the others), > > well... I think the list is already quite centralized. Setting up different > groups for different languages is great, it helps people to communicate in > their native language. But important information (like - for example - > information on bugs, howto's, etc.) should be also available for the whole > community. In many cases, these issues are rather technical, and you will > not need to write a big text on that. If this "important" information is > available "only" in spanish, this information is not available for other > gvSIG-users (which even could provide useful information, too). I am sure > that "our" community could be so much stronger. There are many GIS experts > around the world... > > Therefore, it would be great, if "the project" would *invite* (not force!) > all gvSIG users to use the english list. Or to post their questions and > answers in english, too. I hope that there are others who support my point > of view (but I am sure). > > Best regards, > Wolfgang > > > > -- > View this message in context: > http://osgeo-org.1560.x6.nabble.com/Re-Gvsig-usuarios-worries-about-the-gvSIG-community-tp5053715p5055576.html > Sent from the gvSIG users mailing list archive at Nabble.com. > _______________________________________________ > Gvsig_internacional mailing list > [email protected] > > To see the archives, edit your preferences or unsubscribe from this mailing > list, please access this url: > > http://listserv.gva.es/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gvsig_internacional > -- Cheers Simon Simon Cropper - Open Content Creator Free and Open Source Software Workflow Guides ------------------------------------------------------------ Introduction http://www.fossworkflowguides.com GIS Packages http://www.fossworkflowguides.com/gis bash / Python http://www.fossworkflowguides.com/scripting _______________________________________________ Gvsig_internacional mailing list [email protected] To see the archives, edit your preferences or unsubscribe from this mailing list, please access this url: http://listserv.gva.es/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gvsig_internacional
