BRAZIL Python Script that generates SVG SSS-2004( finally!)

Tue May 9 07:18:21 UTC 2006

SignWriting List
May 8, 2006

Hello Everyone!

On May 8, 2006, at 7:02 PM, Machado from Brazil wrote:
> I'm trully sorry about the delay. I was in the organising commitee  
> of 7th International Free Software Forum - fisl7.0 (http:// 
> fisl.softwarelivre.org/7.0) held here in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

No need to apologize. Thank you for remembering us!

I am interested in the International Free Software Forum. Can we  
inform the participants about our free SignWriting software, such as  
SignWriter DOS, SignWriter Java, SignWriter Python, SignWriter Tiger  
sources, SignPuddle, SignText and SignBank?...plus the free True Type  
Fonts by Michael Everson, Stefan Woehrmann and Steve Parkhurst and  
Machado? smile...Plus the free SW-Edit software and other free  
programs from Brazil? smile...I bet you already did that!

> We went through a lot of work to comply in the last 10 months and I'm
> still in a frenetic email answering marathon. But (thank God and a lot
> of moisture:-) the forum was plenty successfull with 5300+  
> attendees and
> 18000+ different IP video streamming clients!

Wow!! Congratulations!

>
> Well, about the script...
>
> ...I've found it!!!

Cool!

>
> Find yourselves a commented version attached. I hope it is self
> explainable. Please, be assure that I become aware of any trouble.

I wonder if it could be applied to the IMWA? The IMWA is really the  
SSS-2005 and SSS-2006, except we are calling it the IMWA 1.3. I am  
working on IMWA 1.4 right now.

The IMWA stands for the International Movement Writing Alphabet, and  
encompasses the writing of all body movement, such as dance, sports,  
mime and so forth...The symbols are the same graphics quality and the  
same size as the SSS-2004, but the IMWA has more symbols...plus there  
are some subtle formatting changes, like making sure they are pngs,  
not gifs, and adding certain features, such as painting the hollow  
palms the color white, and using a tight bounding box (no space  
around the symbols) and so forth... Steve Slevinski can explain  
better ...

> I also found all my 25000+ svg files from SSS2004. I could make it
> available or even send it to any of you who ask for it. But since I
> could not find  licensing/copyrigth terms of SW Symbols, I cannot  
> do it
> without Valerie's permission.

Of course you have my full permission! I believe in giving the  
symbols freely to the world.

The symbols are already free for download on our web sites, including  
SymbolBank:

SymbolBank
http://www.MovementWriting.org/symbolbank

How should we bundle them with your script?

I am not sure that the script will be able to handle all the symbols  
properly and it needs to be tested first...

Can you make such a bundle and send it to me privately, and then I  
will test it first, before uploading it to our SymbolBank site...?

Regarding the free-licensing information...I would be happy to place  
such a free-licensing statement on our web sites, but maybe one of  
you can write it for me? I do not know the standard way that is  
handled in the free software world...And then we can place all this  
on our web sites...THANK YOU, Machado, for this gift as well...

In general, here are some of the points I would want to make in such  
an agreement...

1. Give credit to the symbols coming from SignWriting and Sutton  
Movement Writing

2. Provide contact information, including our web sites and so forth,  
so people can contact us...

3. Give credit to others who are working on related software

4. Mention that Steve and Val are available for technical support,  
and want the symbols to be used properly, so we are happy to help ;-)

5. The script may not convert every symbol exactly as it should, and  
it needs to be tested...there may be exceptions...

6. Newly-resulting source code, that uses the symbols, should have a  
free version. There can be sales of a product of course, but there  
should also be a free version of the same product, so that the  
SignWriting symbols are available to everyone...

Our goal is to make the symbols as free and open as using the Roman  
alphabet or other writing systems...

>
> By the way, I suggest that all this wonderfull "stuff" should be
> available under the terms of GPL(General Public License), FDL(Free
> Documentation License) or a Free CC(Creative Commons) License.
> Prof. Rocha Costa is a great example since he and his group distribute
> SW-Edit under GNU GPL.

There we go! You know all this stuff ;-))

And I believe Steve Slevinski also knows about this...

>
> Any doubts about Free Software Licenses, I would be glad to answer : )

Great!

>
> Please, also make me know if the script is suitable to you(whoever you
> are)

Yes. I am a little worried about this....I am doubtful it can be  
perfect....So just because we make it free for people to download on  
the web, does not make it correct...and I don't know how to look at  
the symbols from your script...I am not a programmer...so do I use an  
SVG viewer, or view it in a web browser?..I just looked at your  
attached file, but that did not give me the visual symbols for me to  
correct...I will need to go through around 1000 symbols to see if it  
is handling all the issues...so whenever you feel ready, send that  
along, and send it to everyone else too at the same time...we can all  
test it that way...doesn't just have to be me who does that, in fact  
it is helpful to have others do it with me...

>
> All the best,
>
> Machado
> P.S. I'm still waiting for sf.net guys feedback about my free True  
> Type
> SSS2004 font. I'll let you know as soon as I hear from them.

Wow. You have a series of True Type fonts with 25,000 SignWritig  
symbols on them? smile...no kidding? And what do the sf.net guys have  
to do with it? smile...I lost you on this one! ....

THANK YOU, Machado, for the script!

We are all grateful to you...and I look forward to testing it and  
posting it later...

Val ;-)

Valerie Sutton
Sutton at SignWriting.org

1. SignWriting
Read & Write Sign Languages
http://www.SignWriting.org

2. SignBank
Create Sign Language Databases
http://www.SignBank.org

3. SignPuddle
Create Sign Language Dictionaries
http://www.SignPuddle.org

4. SignText
Create Sign Language Documents
http://www.SignBank.org/signpuddle/signtext

5. DanceWriting
Read & Write Dance Movement
http://www.DanceWriting.org

6. MovementWriting
Read & Write All Body Movement
http://www.MovementWriting.org

SignWriting Literacy Project
The DAC, Deaf Action Committee
Center For Sutton Movement Writing
an educational nonprofit organization
P.O. Box 517, La Jolla, CA, 92038, USA
tel 858-456-0098   fax 858-456-0020
D-Link Videophone: 66.27.57.178
Skype Name: valeriesutton

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