Initial translation targets

[Doug Loss <dloss@csrlink.net>]

Barret Dolph asked what things his translation project should work on first.  I 
see this as prioritizing things that need translating, not just picking an 
initial target.  Here's an idea for discussion.

Steve Tonnesen has just presented a very good idea of working out a standard 
but customizable server installation that can be used by a non-expert 
administrator to easily set up a Linux server.  Rob Bellville has volunteered 
to help write documentation for this project.  I propose that as Rob (and 
others, I hope) writes various portions of this documentation those portions 
get passed on to the translators as soon as they're agreed to be in a release 
rather than working draft status.  That way we would have this project ready 
for use in many more locales than if we finished it up in English first and 
then worked on translating it into other languages.

In the same respect it would be good to have regular input from educators from 
many different educational traditions.  That way we would be more likely to 
have truly generalized server installations rather than inadvertently 
US/Canada-centric ones.  Steve, is this something we should look at in the 
K12Admin software?  Everyone, please take a look at what Steve's done.  I think 
it's pretty general, but then I'm from the US and presumably might miss a local 
bias that would be more evident to someone from a different tradition.  And of 
course all software should be internationalized.  Hilaire, I think you're 
probably the most experienced of us in that.  Could you advise us on what's 
needed in that direction (Steve, if you're already on top of that I apologize 
for calling for assistance)? 

Bill Tihen, it seems as though this idea would work perfectly into your 
educational HOWTOs as a major part of the "setting up a Linux lab" HOWTO.  And 
of course as soon as these HOWTOs reach release versions they should go to the 
translators immediately (these would be second priority).

Third priority would be translations for internationalized programs we 
develop, like Dr Geo, MeK, XeM, and LuM.  Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but 
I believe these translations should be fairly quick and easy to do.

If all the programs I've mentioned use a common data format (Bruno's EDUML 
comes immediately to mind) we should be able to integrate everything nearly 
seamlessly.

So what do you all think?

Doug Loss            Democracy substitutes election by the
dloss@csrlink.net    incompetent many for appointment by
(570) 326-3987       the corrupt few.
                        George Bernard Shaw