[Foundation-l] Language Prevention Committee created

[GerardM]

Hoi,
It takes something like an hour to create the requested and required
language files. I have asked at different levels within the WMF to spend
this time. I have spend a lot of time trying to get this resolved.

In the mean time, an effort is underway to localise the messages in the
BetaWiki for Kabyle (information from Nikerabbit). The standard Belarus
wikipedia has been created. I have requested funding to have outside people
solve this issue; it is likely that we will get this funding.

There are two languages, Marathi and kiRuanda that are now properly
supported in MediaWiki. There are many more languages that demonstrate how
bad the old procedure is for starting new projects.

There is nothing stopping people working on content. We are quite content to
have new languages start in the Incubator.

The arguments that are used to get new projects now ignore all the reasons
why localisation is so important and why there is a language committee in
the first place. It is made out as if the situation was so great before. We
have had "languages" forced on us that do not exist, languages that take the
codes because it was voted that way. We have ugly political situations like
the Belarus where people are not willing to work together. Situations where
a NPOV cannot be expected.

It is quite clear that the situation is not good. It is equally clear that
the solution is simple. It just takes a friendly developer to take the hour
it takes to create all the message files in the Incubator. When there are no
friendly developers willing to do this, then it is for the board to give it
the required priority. It is ultimately the board that gave us our mandate
we are quite happy to think outside of the box and find solutions. It is
plain stupid to pull the requirements when the existence of the localisation
has proven so essential in getting projects to attract new editors.

Thanks,
    GerardM

On 3/31/07, Arbeo M <arbeo.wiki at googlemail.com> wrote:
>
> 2007/3/30, The Cunctator cunctator at gmail.com:
>
> > The reasonable assumption is that something in the process is broken.
>
> That's exactly the point. On one side we have a number of well-advanced
> requests for new languages with good potential. There's a number of
> editors
> who are serious about starting their wiki. And on the other side we have a
> committee in charge enabling this type of progress. Yet, nothing ever
> happens, instead today we're "celebrating" half a year without a single
> new
> Wikipedia.
>
> That's just the cold hard facts and they speak for themselves.
>
> I don't want this discussion to revolve in circles or drift off into
> polemics but we'd be a whole lot further if the committee would
> acknowledge
> this reality instead of insisting that everything is fine a long as the
> holy
> rules are left untouched. Please!
>
> --Arbeo
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