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From:
Valerie Sutton Date: Wed Oct 28, 1998 3:15 pm Subject: Re: iconicity | |
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On Tue, 27 Oct 1998 Angus B. Grieve-Smith wrote: >2) searchability. A friend pointed out to me that SignWriter's use of >non-standardized coordinates (as well as using GIF images) means that text >in SignWriting can never be indexed and searched. Unless significant >changes are made to the software-internal representation of SignWriting >and some system is in place for displaying them on the Web, we'll never >see AltaVista in SignWriting, and you'll never be able to so much as look >up a name in an address book in SignWriting. _________________________ October 28, 1998 Thanks, Angus, for bringing this up. In SignWriter 4.3, Rich Gleaves developed an ingenious method for Search, Find, and Replace by SignWriting symbol. So searchability has already been done in SignWriting. The Danes also developed their own computer program for SignWriting called "TegnBank", and they also can search by symbol I believe. SignWriter 5.0 would improve all this...I just need to raise money to pay for the programming. In time it will happen. One of the plans for the future is to make our SignWriting Web Site an environment where we can search and find by SignWriting symbol - but that would be within the SW Web Site's environment. In regards to searching for signs in Yahoo or another directory on the web, I guess the first question is....can people search Yahoo in Chinese right now? I heard that there are special web browsers being developed to search the web in other writing systems, such as Japanese, but perhaps you know more about this? It may be possible for us to hook into that technology someday. Of course you are correct about GIF files not being searchable- no graphic is searchable... but GIF files are a useful tool, for the moment, to show the writing system on the web and through email. I am one who believes that technology should be developed to meet the needs of the writing system, and not the other way around - so we are trying to develop the technology needed to meet these points. Many thanks for your input - Valerie :-) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Valerie Sutton at the DAC Deaf Action Committee for SW SignWriting https://www.SignWriting.org Center For Sutton Movement Writing an educational nonprofit organization Box 517, La Jolla, CA, 92038-0517, USA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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