SignWriting List
April 1, 2002
Dear SignWriting List Members!
Last Saturday, I worked all day with SignBank programmer Todd Duell.
We have finalized all the features that will be included in SignBank
2002, to be released in September. Todd is delivering the programming
on April 13th. I am working on the instruction manual and entering
signs and illustrations. I hope the beta test version will be ready
April 15th. Then I will continue to improve the database until
September. We hope that someday there will be a SignBank 2004, that
can include other features. So this is only the beginning....
Meanwhile, regarding SignWriter 4.4...I am starting to call it
"SignWriter DOS", because I know there will always be people with
older computers that will need the DOS version. It will not be thrown
out, no matter what new software comes along.
Regarding SignWriter 5.0, written in Java, I am now calling that
"SignWriter Mac" and "SignWriter Windows". As you know, we have
partially-working source code. The reason I have not been able to
accept all the kind offers from so many excellent programmers, such
as Trevor in England who is on the Linux operating system, and Stuart
Thiessen, who is on Windows, is that the only working version I have
of the java code at present, is the SignWriter Mac version...so I
couldn't even demonstrate to Trevor or Stuart, what the problems
were...So last week I was blessed with meeting a Mac-Java progammer,
and he and I discussed the source code at length. His conclusion?: It
may not be exactly what we would wish, but we could salvage what we
have, and he can then make a working Windows version...from there,
others could help if they wish....
So although there are no promises being made, I want you all to know
that there is a glimmer of hope for the old "SignWriter 5.0" code...
My dream? That someday, "SignWriter-SignBank" will be one program,
that offers a complete way to type directly in SignWriting, plus do
the fancy sort routines of SignBank...these two programs could become
intertwined, and that, in the long run, is our goal...I know that
SWML and Unicode will also play a role in the future.
In my next messages, I will detail how to use SignBank 2002, so that
those who wish to test it on April 15th will have all the instruction
they need -
Val ;-)
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