[sw-l] Re: SignPuddle

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
April 27, 2005

Barbara Pennacchi wrote:
> If you go to the italian dictionary you'll see that I've already
> entered 2 different spellings of the sign "RIBS" (in italian, is
> "COSTOLE") just to show you the point I was trying to make. And to get
> a feeling for the thing.

Yes! They are great! Thanks for showing me your signs...

>
> I'm sorry, I still prefer using a keyboard than to wait for the
> signpuddle to load all images and then to drag and push all symbols.
> It seems easy to use, except for all these new symbols (I'm waiting
> for you to continue your lesson on the new finger-movement symbols,
> remember?).

Ha! Of course we all prefer to type. No one is arguing that point. I am
just trying to work in the moment, and right now this is what we
have...It is the easiest way for us to discuss the writing of specific
signs on the SW List, if you use SignPuddle...Plus there are many
features you have not seen yet...

And I will teach the new Finger Movement Symbols as soon as I finish
answering your questions...smile...and by the way...you would not be
learning these new symbols, if it were not for SignPuddle, which
displays them for us immediately...

So every program has its value, and no program is in competition with
another...they are all useful for different purposes...


>
> But, still, using signpuddle across the ocean feels to me a bit slower
> and sluggish than to fire up SW-Java, switch from "IT" keyboard to
> "EN" kbd (under winXP), and start typing the sign.

Agreed! I look forward to Daniel Noelpp's new SignWriter Tiger when it
is ready!! And Lars Majewski's SignWriter Python is useful too!! And if
you can use the current SignWriter Java well, that is fine..it is just
harder to discuss new symbols and signs on the SignWriting List, with
those programs...SignPuddle is more direct for internet discussion
lists...plus it is more up to date...


> Even using only the keyboard is such a blessing, IMHO -- especially
> when one doesn't like RSI :-) Mind you, I'd rather have both means of
> input available, but you have to concede that signpuddle can't be used
> as a SW version of Word, whereas SW-Java can be used to type a
> narrative or to transcribe a signed text.

Barbara...did you know that I designed that keyboard input for
SignWriter DOS and Java? Obviously, if I spent ten years of my life,
working with those two programs, I really believed in typing too! I am
not asking you to stop using any program...go right ahead and use them!

Meanwhile, we were handed a gift from another programmer named Stephen
Slevinksi, and his SignPuddle has some value that is not the same as
typing, but still works and it is more direct for internet use...that's
all...

it has been very hard for us, because SignWriter DOS is an excellent
program but the operating system for DOS is so out of date and a lot of
people do not know how to make gifs and jpgs and pngs from DOS...

So please know that I love to type too...and that is why Sandy Fleming
is developing his own typing program called SWPoster...and I look
forward to testing that as well...so nothing is standing still...we
will have plenty of typing programs in the future...SignWriter Tiger,
Python and SWPoster and Slevinski's MovementWriter is another attempt
that is under development...

Slevinski has also devleoped something called SignText that is a way to
create documents with sentences etc in SignPuddle...there is a new
version of SignPuddle under development...so the future is bright...


> I don't think it is necessary, I've found its usage intuitive enough,
> though I have to agree with honza that it would be nice if we could
> have more fields for every sign, like name of sign in our language and
> in english, definition of sign in both languages... source? what is it
> actually for? I've used it to enter my name when I entered the 2
> different signspellings.

That is left open for users to decide what they want to write there,
but we could make a decision as a group what to do for each field, and
also...there will be three kinds of SignPuddles in the future...

1. SignPuddle Online Community (free for viewers and editors)
Free and Open Dictionaries for 30 Signed Languages

2. Published SignPuddle Dictionaries (free for viewers)
Official Video Dictionaries with SignWriting that can be viewed,
seached and printed, but not changed.

3. Private SignPuddle Projects (by subscription)
Groups can pay to have their own private SignPuddle for dictionary
development, with full technical support. With video features and more
linguistic fields. The private SignPuddles can be turned into published
dictionaries later.


>
>> access our larger symbolset, which is called the International
>> Movement Writing Alphabet (IMWA)...this will give you more symbols
>> for handshapes that may exist in Italian Sign Language...that are not
>> available in SignWriter at this time...
>
> What really would be necessary is to put in SignPuddle some sort of
> help on-line explaining the larger symbolset (I'm in a hurry right
> NOW, so I'm not really sure it's already in it....)

Some already exists...but there will be more and more in time...

Go to:

SignMaker Help
http://www.SignBank.org/signpuddle/help

Val ;-)