WG: iPhone App

Thu Mar 29 14:22:06 UTC 2012

Schneider, Lasse [mailto:Lasse.Schneider at c1-wps.de] 

Hello SignWriting List,

First of all I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Lasse Schneider   and
I’m a software developer in the German delegs project, where we develop  a
web application for writing and managing bilingual SignWriting documents. I
hope you’ve already heard about us. If not you’ll find more information on
<http://www.delegs.de> www.delegs.de

I’m also a student of computer science at the university of Hamburg, and I’m
currently working on my thesis. The topic of my thesis is a sign editor for
the iPad. It’s a tool to create new signs in SignWriting and edit existing
ones. So basically for the same purpose as the sign maker, which you know
from SignPuddle. The app takes advantage of the modern way to interact on a
touch device to improve its usability. It uses the backend of the
delegs-Editor, so signs created and edited with the iPad app can be used in
the delegs-Editor. Delegs procures its signs from SignPuddle. Therefore the
iPad app is also connected to SignPuddle in one direction, as you can use
signs of SignPuddle in the app. The other direction is not supported yet.
Meaning new signs or editing to signs you’ve done in the app will not appear
in SignPuddle (Hopefully one day they will).

The app is still being developed at the moment. So unfortunately it is not
available at the Apple App Store yet. I’ve attached a few screenshots of the
app, so you can get a first impression. I’ll let you know when the app is
available in the App Store, so you’ll be able to download it and try it out.
Until then I’m open to questions and all kind of feedback. :-)

Best regards,

Lasse Schneider

Von: Gryczan, Dr. Guido 
Gesendet: Donnerstag, 29. März 2012 10:37
An: Schneider, Lasse
Cc: WPS-SignWriting
Betreff: Fwd: iPhone App

Hallo Lasse,

I suggest that you should inform "the world" about the iPad-FrontEnd for
SignPuddle and delegs.de

Waddayasay?

Yours

Guido

Anfang der weitergeleiteten E-Mail:

Von: Valerie Sutton <sutton at SIGNWRITING.ORG>

Betreff: Re: iPhone App

Datum: 29. März 2012 04:29:26 MESZ

An: <SW-L at LISTSERV.VALENCIACOLLEGE.EDU>

Antwort an: "SignWriting List: Read and Write Sign Languages"
<SW-L at LISTSERV.VALENCIACOLLEGE.EDU>

SignWriting List

March 28, 2012

Hi Arthaey again -

On Mar 28, 2012, at 6:34 PM, Arthaey Angosii wrote:

On Wed, Mar 28, 2012 at 6:19 PM, Valerie Sutton <sutton at signwriting.org>
wrote:

Regarding a SignWriting app for the iPad
 Yesterday for the first time, I

heard that a German programmer has developed or is developing a SignWriting

app for the iPad
 Stefan Woehrmann told me about it in a Skype conversation.

I am excited to learn more about it myself 

Do let us know if you hear any more about this!

I will - Stefan - can you tell us more about the iPad app for SignWriting
which was demonstrated to you recently? Perhaps you can ask the programmer
or developer to get in touch with us? We are so curious
smile...

Regarding SignWriting Shorthand, it is not handwriting, but a little like

Pitman or Gregg Shorthand in English - and was used in the 1980's to take

notes for Deaf signers in the classroom, writing the signing of the

interpreter at speed. And it worked for the students who took notes with the

Shorthand. However, SignWriting has changed since and the Shorthand needs to

be updated to match the way we write today and we have not done that yet

I hadn't realized SignWriting had evolved so much — but that's a good
thing! That means it's improving as folks use it, right? :)

Exactly!

SignWriting has vastly improved since 1974, and since the 1980's and so
forth
every decade has brought important improvements that evolved naturally
through usage - that is the important point - It is a flexible writing
system that is alive and well -

Have you seen this new web site on the SignWriting Script? someone just
showed it to me the other day -  I was so happy to see it:

Script Source: SignWriting

http://scriptsource.org/cms/scripts/page.php?item_id=script_detail
<http://scriptsource.org/cms/scripts/page.php?item_id=script_detail&key=Sgnw
> &key=Sgnw

I ask about shorthand and cursive because I'm concerned that print
SignWriting is too cumbersome to use for writing notes in class. I
wanted to see examples of people's personal shortcuts they've taken to
make SignWriting look less like a bunch of diagrams and more like,
well, writing. ;) But I am interested in forms of SignWriting that are
complete enough to not need immediate re-transcription, the way true
shorthands do.

Smile - first, no worries
SignWriting is flourishing written by hand as well
as by computer. Some people write painstakingly beautifully by hand, the way
people wrote English beautifully by hand back in the 1800s
and other people
write fast and can read each other's writing just fine - but that is not
shorthand - it is handwritten notes - shorthand is a different way of
writing based on shortcuts and phonetic pieces of words like a court
recorder, who gets training with special machines - so let's call it cursive
or handwriting, but not shorthand -

It is true that we could use some "formal" textbooks teaching handwriting
skills, but that will come in time -

Do you have any samples of letters, or notes, or what-have-you, that
are good examples of quickly-written but still-legible(-to-the-author)
SignWriting?

Sure - anyone want to show Arthaey some of their handwritten notes? smile

As far as good examples on the web -

http://www.signwriting.org/about/prepare/prep01.html

Darline was aghast when I posted this one, because she was just writing
handwritten notes for herself and never expected it to become an example
that it is possible to write by hand (smile)

and here is an article that goes on for more than 6 pages showing lots of
handwriting
go from page to page to page...

http://www.signwriting.org/lessons/cursive/byhand1.html

If you are thinking of texting on iPhones or iPads with SignWriting, I

believe there will be a day when SignWriting texting will occur - and that

just might become the new "Shorthand" - who knows?!!

In order for SignWriting to be supported for texting, it would have to
be supported directly by Apple — which seems unlikely to happen. But
it *would* be possible to create an iPhone app that was dedicated to
SignWriting, which wouldn't need any official recognition by Apple
apart from normal approval in the app store.

That would be great and would mean a big shift in people's awareness of
SignWriting..

So Arthaey - tell us - are you interested in developing a SignWriting app

for the iPhone?

I am a programmer by trade, but I haven't done any iOS programming
before. Although I *am* interested in making an iPhone app, I would
not do justice to a SignWriting app until I've learned both ASL and
SignWriting better first. :)

That's true, but your interest and technical support will be welcome -

On the other hand, I do have a lot of professional web development
experience and would consider making a smartphone-friendly version of
the SignPuddle website. (The site does work on my iPhone's web
browser, but it could definitely be a smoother, easier experience.)
Would you be interested in that?

As you know, SignPuddle is designed and developed by Steve Slevinski, who is
right now finishing up the development of a new version of
SignPuddle
SignPuddle 2. We hope to be using SignPuddle 2 online in the next
month or so

Once SignPuddle 2 is working well, the next item on Steve's To-Do List is to
work on this very issue - there are new web browsers out there now that do
not all work the same and SignPuddle needs to become cross-platform with all
the latest web browsers including Safari,  Google Chrome and RockMelt - 

So you need to ask Steve if you could be of help - If you could work
together and it speeds up the process of course it would be a blessing for
everyone - We are a non-profit and we do not have any funds to help you with
this task - so I do not want to impose on you...

No matter what, thanks for the offer and for this interesting chat!

Val ;-)

Valerie Sutton
Sutton at SignWriting.org

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

SignPuddle Online
Write SignWriting in the Clouds!
Documents, Dictionaries, SignMail
 <http://www.signbank.org/signpuddle> http://www.signbank.org/signpuddle

SignWriting Wiki
Wiki-style Articles in Sign Languages
 <http://www.signbank.org/wiki> http://www.signbank.org/wiki

SignWriting List
Technical Support: Ask questions...
 <http://www.SignWriting.org/forums/swlist>
http://www.SignWriting.org/forums/swlist

SignWriting Literature Project
Writing Literature in Sign Languages
 <http://www.SignWriting.org/literature>
http://www.SignWriting.org/literature

SignWriting Encyclopedia Projects
Writing Encyclopedias in Sign Languages
 <http://www.SignWriting.org/encyclopedia>
http://www.SignWriting.org/encyclopedia

SignWriting Sponsors Forum
Help Educational Non-Profit Organization
 <http://www.SignWriting.org/forums/sponsors>
http://www.SignWriting.org/forums/sponsors

SignWriting Shop
Books, DVDs, Lessons, Services
 <http://www.SignWriting.org/shop> http://www.SignWriting.org/shop

Deaf Action Committee For SignWriting
Center For Sutton Movement Writing
a US educational nonprofit organization
PO Box 517, La Jolla, CA, 92038, USA
Tel: 858-456-0098  Skype: valeriesutton

SignWriting on Twitter
 <http://twitter.com/signwriting> http://twitter.com/signwriting

SignWriting on YouTube
 <http://youtube.com/signwriting> http://youtube.com/signwriting

SignWriting on Facebook
 <http://facebook.com/SignWriting> http://facebook.com/SignWriting

---

Dipl.-Inform. Dr. Guido Gryczan

C1 WPS Workplace Solutions           Geschäftsführer:

Gesellschaft für DV-Beratung mbH     Dr. Guido Gryczan

Vogt-Kölln-Straße 30; 22527 Hamburg  Prof. Dr.-Ing. Heinz Züllighoven

Telefon: +49 40 51 32 26 82          HRB 73999 - Amtsgericht Hamburg

Telefax: +49 40 51 32 26 83          info at c1-wps.de

Mobil:   +49 172 406 83 48             http://www.c1-wps.de
<http://www.c1-wps.de/> 

guido.gryczan at c1-wps.de              

C1 WPS ist ein Unternehmen der C1 Group 

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