[OSM-talk] Naming disputes in Ukraine

[Lester Caine]

Peteris Krisjanis wrote:
> (Skipping all this, because obviously you are not that well informed
> about how this situation with Ukraine came into being)

Actually I don't think it is particularly relevant in any of these disputes, the 
thing is simply that OSM is fundamentally 'English' and this is the problem?

Personally when I look at a map I prefer 'English' names, and so I would 
anticipate that someone would be helpful and provide an :en translation ... 
which would probably start another dispute ... but the point here is that what 
ever is done is wrong.

The starting point is the tagging, and every name entered should have the :lang 
extension, even English ones, so that when raw data is accessed a number of 
options are available. The applications reading the data then display the 
preferred language of the user. Of cause what do we default to is the crux of 
the problem here, but having a CHOICE would get over many of the disputes?

Rendering to a single map is never going to be ideal, and the 'map what is on 
the ground' rule should ALWAYS take priority. It's not use printing a map with 
welsh on it if the road signs only show English. So from my point of view if a 
print an 'untranslated' map I would expect to be able to find the roads if I 
could read the signs? Providing a translated map is exactly what the dual map 
approach was set up for but has to be done on a regional rather than world basis?

So ... TAG every language (please ;) ) but keep the main osm map following the 
'map what is on the ground' rule ...

-- 
Lester Caine - G8HFL
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