From: Michael Everson (everson@evertype.com)
Date: Wed Oct 04 2006 - 02:25:16 CST
At 22:40 -0400 2006-10-03, Don Osborn wrote:
>Maybe I'm missing something here, but how would gender data
>facilitate localized interfaces in a way that specifying currency
>symbols, decimal markings or alphabet/sort order do? If it's for
>something like a welcome page that, in a greeting in a particular
>language, needs to use a masculine or feminine forms, couldn't that
>be written in the software if the language needs it?
Yes, if the System Preferences knows what gender the computer owner
is, it could use the masculine or feminine pronouns or verbal forms.
If a Thai computer knew what age a person was, or what social status
the person held, it might also speak more appropriately.
But then, a German user might prefer his computer to "duzen" him
rather than to "Siezen" him.
What fun the localizers would have. :-)
-- Michael Everson * http://www.evertype.com
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