IMWA: Handshape Construction and Sequencing Rules

[Bart Braem]

> The problem, in the past, was that the different symbolsets, such as
> the SSS-1995 in SignWriter DOS, the SSS-1999 in the current version of
> SignWriter Java, and the SSS-2002 in SignBank 2002....all had different
> numbers...so the poor programmers had to write conversion programs from
> one symbolset to the other...

We wrote one of those programs and it's a large problem for sure, it's a very
good idea to solve it now.

> I am sure this has tortured many
> programmers, and I am trying now, to put a final stop to this problem,
> by freezing the numbers of the IMWA in the next two days...

May we suggest not using numbers? Current computers have no problems
whatsoever to use your categories, it's a lot easier to program and most
importantly: when new symbols are added they don't have strange numbers: they
just belong in their category!
That would just be the ultimate way for programmers and users: when you get a
specific symbol it's always identified by it's categories and subcategories,
one never has to change the code again...

One other thing we would like to ask: please make all symbols turn in the same
direction, so all counter-clockwise for example. Currently some symbols do
turn the other way round and that's pretty irritating when programming: if
you want to display a mirrored or rotated symbol you always need to check the
category. When you just specify one rotation programmers can always be
confident that when the format reads "turn 45 degrees" it will always be the
same direction.

A last issue there is the rotation degree: it would be very good if that were
specified in degrees instead of just arbritary numbers without any
significance: eg the current symbols involving shoulders, like number 243 and
244 have at number 1 symbols which are rotated 15 degrees, a regular hand has
at number 1 a rotation of 45 degrees. When you specify the rotation as
degrees it will also be very easy and straightforward to add new rotations in
the future, as they just fit in. (This is about the same solution as we
suggest for the symbol numbers)

These are just a couple suggestions but it would help future projects so much
because rendering signs is so much easier then, it could save us lots of
time.

Greetings from Belgium
Bart & Steven
--
Woordenboek Vlaamse Gebarentaal
http://gebaren.ugent.be