Re: DOCBOOK-APPS: Overview of available editors

[David Kilgour <towser1@xtra.co.nz>]

Dave Pawson wrote:
> 
> At 20:50 06/04/2002 -0500, Ed Nixon wrote:
> 
> >My question is, can you point me to information that would give me some
> >insight into creating online or electronic information sources that use
> >sign? I guess, given I'm in North America, ASL would be of more direct
> >interest but anything that would provide an overview of the issues and
> >opportunities of "automated" sign language would be very helpful.
> 
> I guess I'm one of those visual impairment considerers too Ed.
> One thing I've been playing with recently is self voicing SVG.
> 
> Would it be possible to generate (using svg) sign language signs
> using 'stick' fingers? If so, under what circumstances would
> and in what manner might they be used?
> 
> .... And what lists should this discussion be on :-)
> 
> Regards DaveP

W3C mentions sign language, http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT-TECHS/ 
and hints of the potential to mark-up for sign language in their
"Techniques for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0"

A starting point for a discussion list for Deaf related computer stuff
is the very general deaf-l list and a look around the FAQs from Omer
Zak's pages at  www.zak.co.il/deaf-info/old/home.html

I looked around for similar information to Ed's needs a couple of years
ago and there were some university sponsored research projects. An
interesting application is speech to sign language, or caption markup
(and teletext) to sign language  additionally sign language to sign
language (translation). The relevance of this is of course Norm will be
putting it all in docbook somehow:>) What if ... there were existing
sign language dictionaries written in markup with their accompanying
graphics. Working back from the graphics to the dictionary text and from
there to a voice library like the Edinburgh text to speech stuff for
DaveP's application.

http://www.mcs.vuw.ac.nz/~pondy/nzsl/SL-dictionaries.html has some sign
dictionary examples with different approaches. 

I would say more, but I too am busy on a project using docbook with
psgml mode in emacs, just to stay on topic. As to the usability of emacs
and psgml for editing I have no problems with that. I came to use these
tools when I was a farmer in a remote spot with no software store in
sight, and just used them out of curiosity. Nowadays I use these tools
as a technical writer, and people employ me out of curiosity. I am
working on compiling about 20 text books into one rehashable learning
resource with multiple output formats. I cannot imagine doing it without
docbook, psgml and emacs. In the first place it was through using
docbook, psgml and emacs that I had the realisation that it was possible
to undertake such a large project. I haven't thought of using anything
else for editing, but I am looking for an easier way for marking up the
existing text. I thought having a larger family would help.

 As an independent freelancer who only works in the dark I cannot
imagine undertaking this project without the support that comes from the
developers and users of these software tools. Using these tools gave me
the confidence to try others, Markus Hoenicka's refdb bibliography
system for example, where I am a struggling newbie. I know that the
struggle is self inflicted by not attending thoroughly to reading the
docs and all will be well when I do. It was Markus' documentation for
installing a docbook system on NT which made the whole
docbook-emacs-psgml thing comprehensible to me at the level I needed,
and now I use a Debian system with emacs, psgml and emacs all ready made
and installed.
regards
David Kilgour