[sw-l] Downloading the IMWA and SSS-1999

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
December 8, 2004

I think a lot of you may have lost the idea of what the IMWA is....It
is not meant for small computers or for tiny little software programs.
The IMWA is my way of documenting every symbol in the writing system,
and it will be getting bigger now, rather than smaller. Of course I am
truly thrilled that Stephen is using it for SignMaker...It is a
blessing that I never expected...I was not sure at the time that I was
developing it, whether anyone would use it, since it is so large...But
every programmer has to find their own way...and Stephen's work is
fitting with the IMWA like a glove...and it means that we will be able
to write DanceWriting with SignMaker in the future, since I am working
on the symbols for writing the full stick figure now...

Having said that, of course other programmers will want smaller
symbolsets...no question about that and I hope in time, once the IMWA
is done, that we can develop smaller symbolsets from the large one...

But we are not there yet, so everyone has to take what they need from
this huge writing system, and mold it to their own work...

Which I am sure you will do, Sandy, and your ideas sound good and I am
interested in following your progress...

Thanks for your comments about how I should be a programmer...ha!...I
am a person who works with programmers...My job is to develop the
symbolsets used by programmers to create SignWriting software... and to
test the software and to package it and inform the world about it, and
teach the symbols..That is enough for me ;-))

So keep us informed, Sandy, as to your progress...Maybe someday we can
use your programs too...I hope so!!  Val ;-)


----------------------


On Dec 8, 2004, at 7:35 AM, Sandy Fleming wrote:

> Val wrote:
>
>> I just downloaded the file and had no trouble unzipping it and opening
>> it...So I don't think there is anything wrong with Stephen's file. The
>> problem probably is that the IMWA has a lot of symbols, and maybe
>> Windows 98 cannot handle 25,000 little files being unzipped all at
>> once...
>
> You might be right, Val - you should be a programmer! I'll try copying
> the
> file over to my laptop, which has XP, and unzipping it there.
>
>> And just because I suggested that you do your own computer program,
>> Sandy, doesn't mean you should- smile...We just don't have time to
>> implement your idea of variants right now, thats all...
>
> Well, in fact I'm writing an editor for working with dialects of oral
> languages at the moment, and have been for some time now, so once that
> starts to wind down, the experience gained will help with this.
>
>> Anyway, if you want to download the SSS-1995 or the SSS-1999, go to:
>>
>> http://www.movementwriting.org/symbolbank/symbolbank.html#SSS952002
>
> To tell the truth I'm seriously thinking of discarding the IMWA and
> getting
> the program to draw symbols for itself. I'll experiment with that and
> see
> how well it works out.
>
> Sandy
>
>