new SI1452 keyboard layout

[Omer Zak]

On Sun, 2011-01-16 at 22:18 +0200, Shachar Shemesh wrote:
> On 13/01/11 10:52, Tzafrir Cohen wrote:
> > Hi
> >
> > So I set up a small git repo with the xkb mapping and put my changes
> > in a branch:
> >
> > http://gitorious.org/si1452-xkb/si1452-xkb/commits/tzafrir
> >
> >    
[... snipped ...]
> In the end, the SII will issue a standard. Like it or not, this is what 
> will get implemented on most computers out there. Ideally, this standard 
> is what will get implemented on ALL computers out there. As such, I 
> think it is best to try and make sure that this standard is as good as 
> we can make it.
[... snipped ...]
> Creating forks and branches may lead to one of two outcomes, as far as I 
> can see, neither desirable. The least bad outcome is that no-one will 
> use your repo, and you would have wasted time and effort. The worst 
> case, however, is that your repo is widely successful, but incompatible 
> with the end standard. As such, I think it is best to keep the feedback 
> flowing where the SII sub-committee can pick it up.

Please allow me to disagree about this point.

Successful standards (RFCs upon which the Internet is based) were
developed by methods similar to the one supported by Tzafrir's effort.
People implemented proposed standards and actually tried to work with
them.

Unsuccessful standards (OSI 7-layer networking model, X.whatever E-mail
addressing standard, etc.) were approved by a committee without having
been actually implemented and put to trial by fire.

In the case of the new SI1452 keyboard layout standard, it means that it
should be easy for people to try various keyboard layouts and see which
feels right to them and why.  It should be easy for them to tweak those
layouts and pass back feedback to the committee (I understand that you
[Shachar] are doing excellent job in getting our feedback back to the
committee).

And if a particular layout was not approved as The Standard but turns
out to be wildly successful, then it means that the SII committee
screwed up.  Then SII should review its standard making processes and
see what can be done to avoid approving a suboptimal standard in the
future.

--- Omer


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