🚀 go-pugleaf

Pascal Gaudette writes
> I'm sorry to say it, but I'm starting to be pretty disappointed 
> by the localization, or rather the lack thereof, in 3.0.

I agree with you.  I think that if I install the 'Swedish' package, I expect to  
get French help pages, a French dictionary, etc.  I basically expect to have a  
computer that (for the NeXT apps at least) operate 100% in French.  3.0's apps  
(non-demo apps like Preferences, the File Viewer, etc.) were advertised as  
being fully localized in the languages supported as well.

> Perhaps NeXT is hoping that some of these holes will be
> filled by third party companies.

To me this is a big problem with NeXT.  Getting apps fully localized is  
essential to being able to sell the systems in non-English-speaking areas.   
It's not as if Germans, for instance, don't need help with the File Viewer, so  
it's completely unnecessary to make help pages in German.

> I'll have to pay extra $$$ just to be
> able to work in my own tongue. 

NeXT's big savings, in not using the same people who translate the Release  
Notes and 3.0 installation instructions into all the different languages, gets  
passed right on to the non-English-speaking user (or the user who would prefer  
to work in another language).  Very slimy work for a corporation that claims to  
work in 7 languages.  I also don't like how the Japanese version of NeXTSTEP  
gets marketed affordably only in Japan.  Why not make it just another language  
to click on in the Preferences panel and/or when you first set up 3.0?  I'd say  
because NeXT/Canon can wrongly sponge more money out of NeXT users that way,  
that's why.  Have you checked the price of the Japanese NeXTSTEP as sold in the  
US?

> At least they're trying, I suppose. But I really had
> hoped it would be much better than this.

Me too.  Isn't there a company who specializes in localizing apps?  I've  
forgotten their name, but they've advertised in NeXTWORLD before, I think.   
Seems like NeXT oughta spend some of the money they've gotten from selling  
NeXTdimension boards and put it to fulfilling their localization promises.
-- 
-- Jeff (jeffo@uiuc.edu)
-- NeXTmail ok