It’s been a long slog… January 28, 2010
Posted by globalizer in Unicode.add a comment
but getting close to 50%!
Hat tip: Mark Davis.
Android string arrays and localization January 18, 2010
Posted by globalizer in Android, Localization, Programming languages, Programming practices.add a comment
I really wish the Android developer guide would not (at least implicitly) recommend using localizable strings directly as array items.
In my opinion, any examples showing translatable strings as array items should in fact be accompanied by flashing red warning signs. Here’s why:
If the default version of a string array is updated with the addition of an array item, but the localized version has not been updated yet (very common scenario), then the menu item in question would simply be missing from the localized version (no fallback to the default version, since the string array represents the whole array). This can potentially result in serious functional issues in the localized versions of the software.
Instead, the examples should show array items as references to resources.
Time for a style guide update, NYT January 16, 2010
Posted by globalizer in Language, terminology.Tags: Language, style guide
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Something that has been bugging me for a while, this is just the latest example:
She said she was “unaware” whether China staff have been denied access to codes, as some bloggers have said, but added that Google is still scanning its systems following the attack.
Who, outside of the New York Times editorial offices, thinks that “code” as in “software code” should be treated as a countable noun?
Wow January 13, 2010
Posted by globalizer in China, global access.1 comment so far
Wow is all I can say. And the surprise is not at China’s actions. I am (pleasantly) surprised at Google making this public.
Android compiler grousing January 9, 2010
Posted by globalizer in Android.1 comment so far
I realize that it is important to always have a string entry in the default Android resource file for strings that are actually used in the code, since that is what will be used if an app is run in a locale you have not provided localized resources for.
However, I really wish the Android compiler would not complain if it finds strings in localized files that do not exist in the default strings.xml file:
aapt: warning: string ‘pref_name’ has no default translation in com/packages/apps/MyApp/res; found: pt_BR
Since it is common for localization to lag behind updates to the base version, and since hopefully developers will clean out unused strings periodically, it is very common to have strings in the localized files that do not exist in the default version. That should not cause compiler errors or warnings!
It would be incredibly useful to get an error if a string that is actually referenced in the code does not exist in the default strings.xml file – but the current setting is just an annoyance.
OK, done with today’s grumpiness.
Unicode Haiku contest October 10, 2009
Posted by globalizer in Unicode.add a comment
Writing a Haiku – one that is not terminally lame – is more difficult than you would think. Adding Unicode to the mix doesn’t exactly make it any easier.
Here’s my own lame attempt:
so many code points
emoji sure to get in -
how ’bout Klingon now?
When having a web site is worse than not having one October 10, 2009
Posted by globalizer in QA, web applications.2 comments
In this day and age it is really a requirement for practically any serious business of just middling size to have a web presence. Not just for visibility and marketing purposes, but to save money. If users are able to complete most of their interaction with a company via self service online you not only get happier customers but you also save a boatload of money on customer service.
However, this of course assumes that you have the wits to implement a customer web experience that doesn’t look as if it were implemented by middle school students (and I apologize in advance to the many middle school students who wouldn’t dream of making rookie mistakes like these):
- Implement a web form that only works with IE
- Don’t provide any clues whatsoever to users of oh, let’s say Firefox, that you don’t support their browser. No message, no visual indication that there is an error, nada
- Don’t ask the user to re-enter the chosen password for confirmation – but of course have 2 of the “security questions” that infect US-based web sites like the plague
- Don’t provide any option for the user to change the mailing address online, thus requiring a call to customer service any way
That’s just the first 4 obvious and insanely annoying things about the Chase HSA online service that I signed up for because I wanted to change my mailing address. Which it turns out I can’t do online…
Now I know what I’ve been working on these past months! September 12, 2009
Posted by globalizer in Android.2 comments
Phew! Finally no need to stick my head in my bag when I answer my phone in public; no need to be insanely vague about exactly what I work with when talking to people outside of Motorola. Now I can just say CLIQ – or DEXT – or MOTOBLUR.
That name in itself is one of the few surprises in the announcement. We have been using the code name internally, and had never heard the official name until a few days ago. So now I suddenly know what I have been working on…
It seems there’s a reason I’m not in marketing, though – I would have thought the concept of a “clique” would have primarily negative connotations (and yes, I get the word play on both “clique” and “click”), but I guess not.
The view from the outside August 2, 2009
Posted by globalizer in Denmark.add a comment
After having lived the past 11 years in the United States, I find myself quite often telling fellow Danes that they don’t realize how comparatively well-designed and sound most public policies in Denmark are. They will complain about (to me) very minor and temporary glitches in health care for instance, and my attempts to tell them how well off Denmark is compared to the United States fall completely flat – because it is impossible to convey just how screwed up the US is in this area.
I am sure most Danes will be flabbergasted about this.
