[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Bayani status



Salam All and Idkoum Moubarak :)

I would like to take a few lines to talk about the current status of Bayani.

Since the last release (0.1a, 27th January), there have been significant changes made, the three main ones are:

1- MDI (Multi Document Interface) is now fully working, so it is possible to open multiple frames in one sesssion, each frame can contain multiple graphs.

2- A script window has been implemented. I'm implementing the script language. This is very useful to automate graphs redrawing in case of a change in the data, by re-executing the script from a text file.

3- The symbolic computation is now functional, at least for the derivation.

Please have a look at this screenshot:
http://perso.club-internet.fr/youcef.rahal/bayani/screenshots/bayani-Feb-11-2003.png

Again, the script and the symbolic computation work in Arabic in the arabic/default version, and in English in the English/French Translations. I didn't find it necessary to make a French translation of them since I think French people would prefer continue to use the now-familiar English terminology. Of course I may be wrong, and this can be changed quite easily in case I receive enough feedback/remarks about it.

The Arabic command script is in my point of view quite necessary, first of all because we change the alphabet, so we have to use new words. Also, because this is one of the main goals of Bayani: have a symbolic computation feature working natively in Arabic, and not only the graphical interface.

This may seem unnatural to those who have never used a command/programming language in Arabic (I'm one of them). But I think this is essentially a question of habit. If I used an arabic programming language early in my education, this wouldn't be unnatural for me right now. But I think it's not too late to change that :)

Did anybody here ever heard about or used an Arabic programming language ? Or about any attempts to create such a language ? I am asking this question, because it would be better to see what people did before, what they did think about etc. Even if the script command language I'm implementing is not properly a programming language.

For example, here is a practical question: should we make this script language "Shadda" and "Harakat" sensitive or not ? If yes, the user should type in the exact arabic word required by the parser, otherwise it would be a syntax error. If not (in order to have a more user-friendly script), we have to take account of any forms of the word that a user may enter (with or without Shadda, Harakat, Hamza etc), and it can quickly generate some headache to think about all the possibilties that a word can take in this case.

Another question is the proper arabic words (that wouldn't sound awkward) to be used in that language.

If i'm not being clear enough, please feel free to point out what seem dark to you and I'll be happy to clarify it. Also, I really need your feedback on this, and on what features you think may be added to Bayani so it can reach a larger audience etc :)

Thank you,

Youcef.


_________________________________________________________________
MSN Messenger : discutez en direct avec vos amis ! http://www.msn.fr/msger/default.asp