localization of keyboard shortcuts

[Christian Rose <menthos menthos com>]

"Michael T. Babcock" wrote:
> For internationalisation, we need to remember the simple ability to have
> different defaults for different languages (and configuration options).

I agree that more configurability is better, but I don't agree about
changing the default keyboard shortcuts for different locales.

Changing defaults for different locales makes a lot of sense in some
cases - that is, when the locale has declared preference for things
behaving in one way or another as the default.

That is, for example, language, keymap, unit system, date formatting,
24h clock, week begins on mondays, sort order, paper size, snail mail
address formatting, decimal point, thousand seperator, leading zero,
currency and a lot of other nifty things that the locale explicitly
specifies and has something to say about.

I don't think that it makes sense in those cases where you want to
change the behavior for a locale because of some issue the locale
doesn't have something to say about - because then, the issue was badly
designed to begin with, since it needs the hacking of the behavior of a
particular locale to work.

Take for example that you have an icon showing a hand pointing with the
index finger, and you know that in most locales that's ok, but you also
know that in locale foo that is considered a terribly offensive gesture.
If you know that, I think that going ahead and choosing that icon
anyway, even if you know this, is a bad design decision since it needs a
nasty hack for a particular locale later on.

I say "nasty hack" because it isn't beautiful. By "beautiful" I mean
that a decision should be made that would work in all locales. In the
case of keyboards, a high-level app shouldn't even have to care about
keyboard manipulating - it should pick sensible defaults that are easily
accessible on all keyboards, and then let the system take care about
locale handling and keyboard translations and layouts and worries. That
is no job for the end app.

Neither is it practical. Those using the foo locale might very well
expect that the keyboard shortcuts are the same for their locale (and
don't even think about the locale issue), as keyboard shortcuts usually
are the same across locales and keyboard layouts, even if the placement
of the keys might differ.

Also, when you change the default, you rely on those changes to be
properly documented and reflected in the programs help and
documentation.
If there is something I can say about localization/translation, then it
is that it isn't even close to be considered as sexy as actually hacking
code (even if you spend the same time and effort doing this as code
hackers are hacking code).
And if there is one thing that's worse than translating apps it's the
translation of documentation. Documentation is boring to write to begin
with, and the translation of them even more so. Not only is
documentation a huge writing effort, by the time the information has
passed the documentation -> translation chain, it is surely outdated
too. That fact, and the fact that you won't be even close as famous as
an important translator instead of an important coder, makes it no fun.
What I want to say with this is that you should never rely on there
being localized documentation (there very seldom is, in my experience,
if there is, it's always outdated) and you should reflect your program
design after that, and not use hacks that rely on localized
documentation.

Changing things according to what the locale says is mostly OK, as one
can expect the user to be familiar with his locale (for example, he
understands and is used to 24h clocks and how they work, and thus the
reason why his version of the app uses such a clock, even if the english
program help shows an AM/PM clock).
It is _not_ OK to change the behavior for a particular locale that the
end user can't expect, if you're not absolutely sure that there is
documentation for it.


Gladly, this kind of things are often a thing of the past. I have never
seen a Windows shortcut, for example, that relys on keys that are not
easily accessible on most keyboard layouts.

It used to be old DOS games (like DOOM, for example) that used keyboard
shortcuts that fit US keyboards very well but were a pain with all other
keyboards, as those keys simply weren't accessible the way the creator
believed, and hence the shortcuts/keys wouldn't work. Some keys weren't
redefinable either... eek.

Nowadays, most games use sensible, easily accessible keys, and rely on
the underlying OS to take care of the keyboard layouts itself, just the
way it should be.

In the unix world, it's mostly old apps that haven't changed their
self-invented arcane keyboard shortcuts in 10 years that still have this
problem (like emacs, for example).

I don't know of a keyboard shortcut in recent Gnome apps that have this
problem, and I don't think we should reintroduce this monster of the
past either.


Christian



#######################################################################
Christian Rose
http://www.menthos.com                    	    menthos@menthos.com
#######################################################################