Fw: Feedback re static frontend site

[Walter Bender]

I like s^collaborate^learn together^ but I find the rest of the simple
English confusing.

-walter

On Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 10:17 AM, Mel Chua <mel at melchua.com> wrote:
> The 3 big feedback points I had, other than the first "whoa, this looks
> awesome!" impression.
>
> The first is that the front page text sounds wonderful, and it's also
> written at what is probably above a 6th grade level; I'd love for children
> and non-native English speakers to be easily able to read this page. So I've
> translated the front page text into Simple English - see the bottom of this
> email. (I have no idea whether this is actually better, but thought it was
> worth trying.)
>
>> * Although I still don't like the black background which I find
>> gloomy, I don't think now is the time to fiddle with that. But I have
>> to say I do find it extremely cool that the homepage colors change
>
> +1 to both, for the record; black backgrounds for some reason make it hard
> for me to read prose text.
>
>>>> * I found the floating menu disconcerting at first, since it hides
>>>> text - I thought it was a bug. It took me a while to figure out it is
>>>> a live menu. Could its function as a menu be indicated? Perhaps the
>>>> categories could be arranged in a bar at the top of each screen -
>
> I still find the floating menu disconcerting, and worry a bit about
> accessibility. Generally, I prefer plain ol' links over live menus, it seems
> more in keeping with the "simplicity" theme.
>
> --Mel
>
> ---------------------
>
> Original text:
>
> The award-winning Sugar Learning Platform promotes collaborative learning
> through Sugar Activities that encourage critical thinking, the heart of a
> quality education. Designed from the ground up especially for children,
> Sugar offers an alternative to traditional “office-desktop” software.
>
> Sugar is the core component of a worldwide effort to provide every child
> with equal opportunity for a quality education. Sugar is used every school
> day by almost one-million children in more than forty countries.
> Originally developed for the One Laptop Per Child XO-1 netbook, Sugar runs
> on most computers. Sugar is free and open-source software—try it with a
> child today.
>
> ----
>
> a first translation into Simple English (see
> http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Simple_English_Wikipedia, I used
> the 1500-word list; computer, open-source, and some proper nouns like "Sugar
> Learning Platform" and "One Laptop Per Child" are the only words not on that
> list.):
>
> The Sugar Learning Platform is software that helps children learn together.
> Exploring programs called Sugar Activities teaches them how to think about
> thinking, the most important part of a good education. Sugar  is designed
> for children, unlike "office software" designed for adults.
>
> Sugar is the first part of a project to give every child around the world
> the same chance at a good education. Sugar is used every school day by
> almost one million children in more than forty countries. Made in the past
> for the One Laptop Per Child computer, Sugar now works on most computers.
> Sugar is free and open-source software - try it with a child today.
>



-- 
Walter Bender
Sugar Labs
http://www.sugarlabs.org