[sw-l] Frustrations of SignWriter DOS users...

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
October 15, 2004

Hello Everyone, and Sandy...and so many fine contributors to this topic!
I am unable to respond to all the messages because of other jobs behind
the scenes, but I want you all to know how much I appreciate all your
ideas...

In summary, we absolutley need a Sign-Language-Processing program, or a
Word processor, as some call it...SignWriter DOS, SignWriter Java and
SignWriter Tiger are all attempts at this, and perhaps someday, Stephen
Slevinski's Movement Writer program, will also become more than just a
web-based program, but a true Movement Processor as well...working in
conjunction with SignBank databases, to print large dictionaries and
documents.

But SignWriter Tiger and Movement Writer are in the future...they are
not ready yet, and the job is much harder than all of you may realize,
mainly because, in SignWriter Tiger's case, the need to be able to
convert old files created with SignWriter DOS, into the new formats, is
a huge job. In other words, the developers of a new version of
SignWriter not only have to re-build the entire SignWriter DOS program
from scratch...from the ground up in java...but they also have to deal
with the old files made in another era...so their job is a hard
one....I know because in 1996 I got the funding and hired Java
programmers to program SignWriter Java. Half way in the middle of the
development they stopped, complaining that it was harder than they
expected, and they had other contracts that paid them more money...so
the SignWriter Java we have right now, is that product. I then tried,
from 1998-today, to ask programmers to simply fix SignWriter Java, but
they can't, because it has to be re-done from the ground up, because of
certain changes in operating systems etc...so I understand totally why
all these problems are there, but I also know that our future is
bright...and no one has to worry...we will slowly work through all
these problems...I want to thank all our programmers for their
dedication and desire to help - we are lucky you care about us, since
we all know, that everyone is doing this work on the side, without much
pay...and that is a gift that must be acknowledged!! Thank you...

So as long as DOS exists in Windows 95, 98, 98se and ME, people can
continue to use SignWriter DOS, which is the only working Sign Language
Processor that we have in the world right now. I use SignWriter DOS on
my Macintosh, with Virtual PC, which runs PC-DOS, Windows 98se and
Windows XP...so I have no problems using it...And there are some DOS
emulators on other platforms, such as DOSBox, so maybe we can all
investigate other ways to keep SignWriter DOS useful, until we have an
equivalent SignWriter in another platform...

Val ;-)