Re: [OmTdev] Omegat-development Digest, Vol 16, Issue 31

[Wayne W. <wa...@wa...>]

Sonja,

You ask great and pertinent questions. I need first and 
foremost a tool for myself to translations from French to English
and then Chinese to French in several years when my Chinese
is good enough. 

I'm leaving software development as my near term goal.

But as a developer, I would like to be part of an open source
system that encourages contributions (including my own) so the
tools get better and productivity increases.

When I talked about adding things to OmegaT I get good apprecative
reactions.  That's great. But we're running into an issue with
the architecture.

Marc and Didier have propose and said they support if I want to "fork"
and make my own version. But I don't want to be the loan developer
of particular version.

They continue to emphasize that I can make enhancements but they 
may not add them into the system.

That would be okay if it was a simple little 2 line change. But 
I want to add a full feature glossary tool.

So I'm been discussing how that can happen.  Plus I think the 
User interface needs to work EXACTLY like it does now for YOU but
Be easy to switch to other entry methods or control keys.

Why would you begrudge other people being able to use it differently 
than you?  You shut out other potential users and MORE importantly
other potential contributers to the technology, bug fixing, etc.

It's weird how users fail to see the advantage of adding more users
to a community.

You talk about wanting to make an expensive product and make a fortune.
That's silly. I never said that.

Here's what I'm saying. OmegaT needs more features everyone including
Marc and Didier agree on that. There's discussion about what features
and how to add them etc.

Problem is that there's a belief software developers have to do all 
this for free on their own time in this OmegaT community.

That's ludicrous. Software developers have to buy groceries and bills
To pay.

Richard Stallman the founder and inventer of open source and the 
GPL license discusses that on his site www.gnu.org.

His point is, and I think you agree, it's not necessary for software
developers to GET RICH off software development. They just need to 
make an honest living.  He says the average income in the US is,
I think, $45,000 and that should be enough.

I kind of (as a biased software developer) think my 19 years of experience
deserve more for my work that.  Most in my area make $70,000 to $100,000
a year.  But I okay with around $60,000.

Anyway, the point is, I can afford to spend many weeks building features
without money to pay bills.

I was proposing earlier on the forum that SINCE I have a lull in translating
At the moment, I could add some enhancements if someone would pay for them.

But some people said noone wants to pay for enhancments. That is also
Ludicrous. Richard Stallman explains that's how lived for years on 
The GNU software when he invented the GPL and open source concept.

If I worked on a software system, I would still make it open source.

I assume your strong language was because you misundertood the intent.

All of the above has led to some issues. The OmegaT team says if people pay
me to work on enhancements they may or may not include them. If not, that
harms the payors.  

Anyway, I want to be part of a project where we can all add enhancements.
But I understand Marc and Didier some enhancements may be against their
Taste or goals, etc. That's fine.

The problem is the architecture. I wondering if I ported the OmegaT into
a more flexible architecture if there's support for that.

By support I mean a recognition at least that is a very good idea. So 
YOU can have OmagaT the way YOU want it but other people and add plugins
and additional features. You might decide to use one or more of them
over time.

In the end, I hope you don't begrudge software developers from making
a living. What YOU are really against, I believe is big businesses that
hire software developers pay them a fair income but own the software 
And make millions or even BILLIONS from reselling that software.

Trust me, I have been paid a modest income by companies like that that
make me sign an agreement that anything I invent or make they own.

Then they make millions off my work.

Please, trust me, I hate that system as much as the consumer.

But wise people recognize that software development is a talent like
translating which deserve to be fairly paid.

I admire people who do it totally for free. But I worry about their
Family live because if the work on software for free which is very
Time consuming AND have to work a job to make a living, they're burning
The candle at both ends.

And if you INSIST on getting software that way, then, in a way, you
are promoting SLAVE labor.

In the end, I think we agree on the money issue with software development.
You just misundertood and rightly asked about my motives.

To put a fine point on it.  Here's my preferences in order.

1. Find a full featured CAT tool that's open sourced ALREADY BUILT.
	That way I can use it right way and do translating, my real love.
	Also, I can make small enhancements for myself as needed.
2. (I can't find a FULL featured CAT tool.) So, I might be willing
	to help finish development on a tool that already exists.
	(As long as somebody pays my bills in the mean time.)
	Then I would have the tool I want and go to translating.

Personally, I started writing software as a little kid in the early 1980's.
So it has been already 27 years I do this. With 19 years paid for it.
I love it but technology changes every year. I already know over 
20 different programming languages most of which are totally obsolete now.

It gets leaning all the new technology every year.  But translating hasn't
changed in many years. And it won't change other than the tools.

My other choices are to just dictate my translations and have them 
Transcribed. But some agencies require TMs now.

Oh did I mention?  I tired of typing at a keyboard for that long also.
I might sound old but I in my 30's.

I want first and foremost to have a CAT system that can auto-complete text
that I begin typing (to reduce key strokes) and fill in complete phrases
that match AS WELL AS fuzzy matching segments.

I wondering if other people besides myself care about making a more
extensible FREE open source system. I don't want to go off on my own,
if possible.

If so, I could do the initial port on my own time to get a working version
of OmegaT in a better more flexible and extensible architecture, help
Marc and Didier to get up to speed. Hopefull even work together on it
along with Zaltan or whoever else.

That would be great, a dream.

Then we could all each of us make enhancements or improvements without
harming anyone else and share them as plugins.

It's not that hard, it's not a ridiculous dream.

We just need to be able to see past our keyboards.

Wayne