[ruby-talk:00761] Re: RD with multi charset

On 28 Aug, Minero Aoki wrote:
> Hi,
> 
>   In mail "[ruby-talk:00742] Re: RD with multi charset"
>     Clemens Hintze <[e-mail]> wrote:
> 

[...]
 
> You can understand it, I can understand it (not complete :-),
> but everyone doesn't understand it.
> And it is the FACT that Japanese user is majority of Ruby user.

But I hope, that this doesn't remain so... :-) I hope Ruby would beat
Perl one day! I think Ruby deserves that. But then, it is important, how
the basement stone looks like. If now, things would be more prepared for
international usage, it would be easier later, when Ruby becomes much
more familiar. If matz would had commented ruby sources in Japanese, I
would not chosen to give it a try. I want to understand what I use, you
know? :-)

I don't know, how it is in Japan, as your country is top in computer
science! But may I tell some of my experience I have had in China?

China is not a high champion in computer faculty *yet*! There, nearly
all documentation or books about programming, are written in Chinese.
You can buy English written books, but such a store is not easy to find.
As China is a passive country (concerning programming) yet, I have
found, that they don't do a favour themself with that decision.

Most new books, I know, about programming and such, are issued in
English first. So everybody who don't understand English, has an clear
disadvantage here. S/he has to wait, that the books are translated
before they can learn from them. And often, translations are poor and
full of errors! :-(

Furthermore anytime some Chinese co-worker have had any problem asked
me, I have much trouble to understand, what they mean, as they didn't
know the right English terms. But of course, they had also problems to
understand my answer ;-) They all speak English better than me, so
English was not the reason here. But they was not familiar with the
English programming terms. They had no need, because they have chinese
books... self-trapped! :-(

But then, as I have said, that is perhaps not an issue in Japan at all!
Your country (besides America) is one of the ruler in that area! So
perhaps there are no such problems :-)

But I think English is, whether we like it or not, *the* language used
in computer and programming areas. So I come to the conclusion, that
every programmer should understand enough technical English, so that
s/he is able to read the books, s/he needs to read!

I, for myself, am very happy, that in German stores, the English books
are lying directly besides the German translation. And often I chose a
English one instead of a German one. :-)

[...]

> 
> Yes, many people using Perl, with enforcing to use English.
> Yes. Perl is accepted by many people with commenting only English.
> Then, if we can use any language, Ruby will be accepted by more and
> more people, isn't it ?  :-)

That is not the problem! Of course, you can use any language you like!
And of course, there are times you *have* to use a specific language, if
you programming for customer! And, of course again, the user
documentation *has* to be in the national language most of the time. No
doubts!

But why to restrict usage of tools, modules or classes? If I comment my
e.g. `filelock' module in English, many people could use it easily. If I
would document it in German, a Korean guy could probably have problems
to understand enough to use it?

IMHO, if --for example-- all of the nice modules and tools for ruby was
written and commented in Japanese, I think, I have not to be a great
prophet to show you, that Ruby would not have any chance in the world
besides Japan (long sentence that, indeed! ;-)

I, for example, cannot use the `ruby-tk81-example.tar.gz' or so, as all
is written in Japanese. It makes no sense for me, to use it to
demonstrate others, how well Ruby works together with Tcl/Tk :-(

I think, a module commented in bad English, is more useful for
non-Japanese programmer, than one commented totally in Japanese.

What do you think?

> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> Minero Aoki

\cle