Chinook browser development

Mike Cleven ironmtn at BIGFOOT.COM
Fri Dec 4 02:18:44 UTC 1998


>
>>Now that Netscape source code is "open", anyone can develop add-ons to it,
>>including other language versions.  To get this done, it would have to mean
>>that one of us is familiar with writing code - or we can convince someone to
>>develop it for us.  Any takers?
>>
>>I kept notes on this once upon a time - y'know......File-Print,
>>Edit-Preferences, etc.
>>
>>First suggestions "File" = "Ikta", "Edit" = "Mamook", "Save" - "Iskum",
>>"Undo" - "Kilapi", etc.  Some of the compounds needed are going to be
>>interesting.

Netscape's Universal Localization Program: Netscape ULP homepage:
<http://www.mozilla.org/docs/l10n>

Just thought I'd let y'all know I've been having a look at the Netscape ULP
- purdy interestin', if I do say so myself.  I'm willing to slog through
the "how to" of the damn thing if the rest of you can help me find suitable
translations/renderings of the drawbar commands and other interfaces.  Not
that a Jargon browser is going to have broad appeal; it'll just be "cool" -
apparently we also can't call it Netscape, according to the rules of the
project, so we also need a suggestion for a name.  "Wawabox" or "Wawahouse"
occurred to me (as replacements for "Communicator").

But as I was reading, it occurred to me that the Netscape ULP could have
profound use within the First Nations/Native American linguistic
communities.  I don't know if anyone out there is working on this for
Cherokee or Navajo or any other major American native language, but I
suspect someone is already working on Inuktitut/Inuvaluit and Cree
variations on the theme.

So it's occurred to me to suggest it to you Salishan list people to try and
evolve a "standard" Salishan vocabulary for browser use; I know that there
are wide disparities in languages within the language family, but maybe
this is an opportunity to derive "New Salish" technological terms and
ideoms......cooperation between linguists and actual tribal community
members would seem to be a must.  The alternative would be to develop
separate Secwepemc, Nlaka'pamux, Lushootseed, etc. versions.....

I'm going to turn a couple of Kwakwala and Tsimshian people I know on to
the idea; at least in their cases it's a little more straightforward.......



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