Re: gperiodic

[Camilla R Fox <cfox@mit.edu>]

> The hard part isn't the programming, it's the media.

Indeed.  Technical issues aside, even with just English, you've got a lot
to choose from as far as pronounciation standards go.  Basically, there
is no standard English, and while you can find a dialect that will sound
reasonable to most of your audience, it will still be very clear that
it's an "American" program, or whatever.  It won't be unuseable to anyone,
but it will be weird to a large minority of your potential audience.

Then there's the question of whether there are any names of elements
that are truely difficult to pronounce.  "Aluminum" is a problem, because
there are two very different (and equally valid) possible syllabications,
but while most element names are polysylabic, a spelling pronounciation
is pretty close to correct.  I guess Cesium, Americium, Francium have
potentially ambiguous 'c' sounds, but wouldn't a text note suffice?
Essentially, the vowel sounds are the ones that are going to be a problem
to agree on, and that aren't difficult for the user to guess.

Basically, I'm advising that you not add a feature that's going to
be difficult to agree on, and that's going to limit your audience.
Pronounciation aids are appropriate for "learn to read" programs, and in
settings where the terminology comes from a language with sounds that tend
to confuse English speakers.  When pronounciation aids aren't necessary,
the principle that simple software is more likely to be good, applies.

I can only speak from the perspective of an English speaker.  If speakers
of the other languages the program has been translated to are prone to
having trouble with the names of the elements, then disregard everything
that I've just said.

-Camilla