Category for the toolbox symbols? And some thoughts.

[Daniel Noelpp]

Hello Valerie

I liked your announcement about IMWA. Of course I will take the time to 
have a look at the PDF documents soon. And of course I would like to 
implement the keyboard for IMWA and maybe (after SignWriter has been 
released) a keyboard edior like for the SignWriter DOS. Now the keys 
are configured by program-readable text files.

Development is slowly but steadily progressing. Günel is at my home 
every Monday and Tuesday, my brother an evening a week and every Sunday 
(he has another job and he is sudying as well). Both tell me that they 
learn a lot but they still are a bit overwhelmed. I hope that they can 
help me debugging (a tedious work). It is an exchange: they have to do 
some boring work but they can learn, too.

A small question about the toolbox (the separate finger and arm lines). 
I would like to put them into a Category with two groups (one for the 
fingers, one for the arms). Do you have an idea as for the Category 
number for the toolbox symbols?

I hope this was not a stupid question. :-)

And another subject. I have been thinking about how you might feel or 
think about the symbols. You wrote once that you didn't care whether 
the symbols flop or not, for example. I got a picture how the different 
groups of people have requests and wishes to you. There are the 
teachers and their children, then the linguists and finally the 
programmers. :-) And all they have big and difficult requests to you. 
:-) And these request sometimes even contradict each other... A 
difficult situation -- I hope I have understood your situation.

I think the power of SignWriting stems from it not being academic. 
Children, for example, don't ask about linguistic issues or whether a 
symbol rotates or not. They just use them. SignWriting makes it easy to 
think as a human. So it is difficult to capture SignWriting into a 
computer, to categorize it, etc. I wonder that you were able to do this 
second step after designing the symbols.

It is like growing a plant. If you cut it too early it won't grow very 
well. You have to let it grow first but after some time there are 
requests or wishes to the plant and of course sometimes it hurts to cut 
or bend branches... And if one does too much refining the plant loses 
its power and even if it might be straight and pretty for the moment, 
soon it will be wilting...

I think SignWriting is like a strong, robust and beautiful tree.

I hope my thoughts were to the point.

Cordially,
Daniel