Interview: Charles Schulz, Lead, Native Language 連合
2005-05-04
Charles Schulz has been the lead of OpenOffice.org's innovative Native Language 連合 (former Native Lang 事業／計画（する）) for the last couple of years. The NLC, as we call it, 代表するs the fastest growing section of OpenOffice.org and numbers の中で its members tens of thousands throughout the world. 事業／計画（する）s are 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金d with localization (which they work on in the l10n 事業／計画（する）), support, and 地元の marketing 成果／努力s. I should 公式文書，認める that I have been the lead and co-lead of the NLC since its inception in 2001; it was 設立するd by Guy Capra, 以前は 長，率いる of the French Language 事業／計画（する） (FR).
This interview was 行為／行うd 経由で e-mail in April.
As, usual, let's begin with you: Tell us about what you do outside of OpenOffice.org and how you got 利益／興味d in OpenOffice.org and 解放する／自由な and Open Source ソフトウェア (FOSS).
I am presently finishing my Master of International 貿易（する） at the ISEG Paris, and at the same time starting a pure 協議するing company 供給するing 戦略の advices and 熟考する／考慮するs on FOSS, "Ars Aperta". I first got 利益／興味d in OpenOffice.org when I was working in a start-up during the dot-com 泡. We were using StarOffice 5.2. I had no special 関係 with the FOSS world (okay, I knew some Debian folks) but got 利益／興味d in that seemingly unknown StarOffice 製品. Then, I visited the OpenOffice.org 場所／位置, and I got 麻薬中毒の up, as I have been since.
What are your 役割s in OpenOffice.org? And, how do they work with your 現在の 職業?
My 職業 is to lead (whatever this could mean) the Native-Lang 連合 (NLC), together with yourself... My main 職業 is to be the animator, the master of 儀式 of the NLC. On a daily basis, and on the long 称する，呼ぶ／期間／用語 同様に, I try to manage this 速く-拡大するing part of our community. This 暗示するs an important part of intercultural 管理／経営, and the will to 消滅させる 解雇する／砲火／射撃s, settling some 衝突s, and 準備するing the NLC for the long 称する，呼ぶ／期間／用語. I also try to work with the Sun marketing people and the OpenOffice.org marketing 事業／計画（する）. Until recently I was also 主要な the 商売／仕事 開発 事業／計画（する）, a 事業／計画（する） that I helped 設立する some time ago. But I 結局 辞職するd as it was too much work, and because it would 結局 衝突 with my other activities. 存在 the lead of the NLC usually is not a problem for me because it is not supposed to overlap with my other 職業s; it [my 職業] even creates nice 適切な時期s for NL 事業／計画（する）s from time to time. But I try to remain very vigilant on that point, so as not to create 衝突s of 利益／興味.
The Native Language 事業／計画（する）, which you and I have been 主要な for the last couple of years (at least), has grown enormously; it is arguably one of the most important segments of the OpenOffice.org 事業／計画（する）. As you see it, what is its 委任統治（領）? What do you see as its 未来?
The 委任統治（領） of the NLC has changed over the years from a 星座 of 事業／計画（する）s 代表するing the 非，不，無-English speaking members of OpenOffice.org to a 連合 of communities 拡大するing the market 株 of OpenOffice.org and 大きくするing the 大多数 of the OpenOffice.org community. These 事業／計画（する）s now do a lot of work 関心ing marketing, localization, QA, Documentation, 商売／仕事 開発... It's pretty exciting to see how big we are now.
What problems do you 想像する with the NLC? For instance, communication の中で the さまざまな 事業／計画（する）s and between the technical 事業／計画（する）s where 核心 開発 is 行為／行うd and the NLC 事業／計画（する）s is いつかs difficult. How are the 事業／計画（する）s 捜し出すing to 打ち勝つ those difficulties?
There are two underlying 問題／発行するs here: one is the language, and the other is the 過程. The language 問題／発行する is simple to understand, yet, it cannot be 打ち勝つ 簡単に. いつかs developers who are part of an NL 事業／計画（する） cannot really work and interact 井戸／弁護士席 with the others because they don't speak English 井戸／弁護士席 enough to communicate. We can't just tell them to go learn English; and 明白に, we can't tell the 核心 developers to learn another language. in the end, there doesn't seem to be a real 解答 besides 味方する help and 改良s in the 道具s we're using everyday (the localization of 問題／発行する Tracker, for instance) to this problem. Next, the 過程 問題／発行する. This can be 直す／買収する，八百長をするd in the long 称する，呼ぶ／期間／用語 and it's already started. The 過程 問題／発行する comes from the fact that the technical 事業／計画（する）s are 歴史的に 居住させるd by Sun engineers in 大多数. This is not a problem, per se, but the truth is that more community developers should come and 与える／捧げる there. 追加するing to the problem, the level of competence 要求するd to work in the 核心 technical 事業／計画（する）s is rather high; hence, too few outside developers 与える／捧げる to the 核心 開発 of OpenOffice.org. But I'm 確信して this can be dealt with over time; the 工学 Steering 委員会 and a better communication with the NLC will help and already helps.
There is also the problems of "塀で囲むd gardens," a modification of the "balkanization" 関心 that 支配するd the first couple of years of the NLC. A "塀で囲むd garden" 環境 creates 孤立するd 事業／計画（する）s that do not in the end see themselves as really part of the whole. Do you see this as a problem now in the NLC?
Definitely yes. It is hard to を取り引きする so many 事業／計画（する）s, and it's hard to 打ち勝つ the 塀で囲むd garden 影響. Fortunately, these gardens are 現実に not as 塀で囲むd as one may think; they're just lost, because I/we don't talk to them that often, and because they aren't willing to communicate a lot. A constant 成果／努力 に向かって talking to them and educating them in order for them to communicate on their work seems to be the 権利 解答. Recently, the com@native-lang.openoffice.org mailing 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる） has been given the 役割 of a marketing repository for the NLC. What this means is that any NL 事業／計画（する） can now 地位，任命する its news on a 月毎の basis. The results weren't miraculous, but they were very encouraging.
New 事業／計画（する）s are often 存在 created for more and more of the world's languages--this is 広大な／多数の／重要な!--but it raises the 問題／発行する of how the new 事業／計画（する）s can get the help and support they need ーするために develop. That is, the members may be lost. What 治療（薬）s are there?
A few months ago, you, the leads of the Localization 事業／計画（する） and I defined a new 過程 for the 統合，差別撤廃 of 事業／計画（する）s and teams who are only working on the localization and who don't have the 資源s needed to become Native-Lang 事業／計画（する）s. There is a need for clarity, a need for localization groups to have their own page ーするために 容易にする their work and their 事業／計画（する）'s 開発. We introduced the Level I and Level II Native-Lang 事業／計画（する）s where the newcomers can 静かに work at their own pace and still 利益 from the NLC 組織／基盤／下部構造. Talking about 組織／基盤／下部構造, I am working on the 体制／機構 of an intermediary 組織／基盤／下部構造 inside the NLC. The NL 事業／計画（する）s will belong to "NL Groups", based on some 肉親，親類d of linguistic and cultural 基準, and one to two reporters will be given the 役割 of 調整するing the 開発 and the communication. This will 許す not just a better cross-事業／計画（する）s communication, it will 許す to mutualize some localizations and 明確な／細部 開発s. Such groups already 存在する when you look at how the Arabic and the Hebrew 事業／計画（する）s have developed ありふれた 道具s 明確な／細部 to 権利-to-left languages. Recently, the Indic native languages group has been 始める，決める up and seems to bring some good results. This may 緩和する the 過程s and make the NLC a better place for every 事業／計画（する）.
Finally, about フラン, where you live. フラン, and the French 政府 in particular, has taken to OpenOffice.org. Why do you suppose that is? And, do you have any insight into how OpenOffice.org can be made better for them?
The 控訴，上告 of 解放する／自由な and Open Source ソフトウェア in フラン, and at a 政治の level, in particular, is the result of many coincidental elements. First, we should never forget how 効果的な the French OpenOffice.org community is at ロビーing and talking about OpenOffice.org. Second, the 政府 is looking to rationalize its IT 組織／基盤／下部構造 while in the mean time become 独立した・無所属 from any one IT vendor--even more so when this IT vendor is not French. There is also that 現在の cost-減ずるing 政策 that 適用するs to the entire French 行政. その上に, I think that our 政府, 関わりなく any 政党, has understood that by enabling this 政策 of その上のing FOSS, it could also create 職業s and wealth in フラン. I can't speak for the French 政府, but I think that it values visibility 堅固に , 基準s, and vendor-independence. As long as OpenOffice.org and FOSS stick to these 基準, we will be successful in フラン.
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