[Foundation-l] Language Prevention Committee created

[Andre Engels]

2007/4/2, GerardM <gerard.meijssen at gmail.com>:

> 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 incubator was intended to *start* languages. Not to keep them indefinitely.

> 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.

That's all good and well, and no doubt the language committee would
improve those things, but NONE of those have anything to do with
localisation. If there are reasons why localisation is important,
those are not the reasons. Do I think that localisation is important?
Yes, though not as much as you do. But I do not think that
localisation is so important that we should keep projects on hold
until it has been reached. You have not been close to convincing me
otherwise.

> 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.

Alternatively, you could let the languages go through and trust that
there is a developer who will do that some time. As simple a solution,
and one that YOU can do. Just give the languages that you think are
ready their Wikipedia, and when a developer decides that it's a good
idea to create the message file, bring it to that wiki.

> 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.

Has it? Where is your evidence? And it doesn't seem that being on the
incubator is so much better than having an own wiki either. Why force
others to do what you want before you do what others want? If it is
your job to do that....

-- 
Andre Engels, andreengels at gmail.com
ICQ: 6260644  --  Skype: a_engels