Abavagada wrote:This thread has 47 pages in it, and people are complaining when the languages they added aren't on this page, so yes, there is an obsession and an insistance.
It's true that it's 47 pages long, and people do say things like "please add language X," but I still think calling it "an obsession and an insistance" is exaggerating. I don't think 47 pages is all that huge for a thread on UniLang that's 5-6 years old; rather, it seems like this is a topic that comes up every now and then. I don't think that should be surprising. Obviously, not all of us like this scheme of listing languages with flags, but as long as we do have this list, surely we can't assume it's perfect and should allow users to share their thoughts on how it could be improved.
Also, at least in the relatively short amount of time I've been here, I don't think I've ever seen anyone ask for a particular language more than once, so I wouldn't say they're "insisting." They're just asking, and honestly, you can hardly blame them. Their questions are valid. Currently, the list of languages is kind of arbitrary and looks a bit like a wannabe Ethnologue with flags. Just sayin'.
This is the most active thread in this technical area. You are reading this thread and responding, so you obviously care about this too.
Well, so are you, but do you really care? Besides, this thread isn't only about adding flags and languages. The latest discussion here has been about
replacing some of the current flags. I'm only saying something in this thread because people have been posting here in the past few days and I have something to say about what's being discussed.
People aren't as concerned about having other parts of the site fixed,
I'm not so sure about that. There are plenty of other problems that have been brought up recently. For instance, at least based on what I've heard from other UniLangers, I don't think languages or flags are seen as being as much of a problem as being unable to log in, having trouble writing a PM, or just not being able to access the website at all for a few minutes (every day around 9 PM your time).
but they surely want the extinct obscure languages added to a huge list so they can include them in their profiles, which is the only thing that is done with this.
You're exaggerating again. None of the languages that have been suggested in this thread for over a year are extinct, and by the standards of most UniLangers, they're probably not even all that obscure, either. Also, they're not just used for profiles; they're often used in various threads to indicate what language something is in. To me, that makes sense; it's probably more convenient than writing out the whole name of the language.
I suggested the "other" box so that, when a person doesn't find a language they want to list, rather than coming here, posting what they want, then waiting for it to be done, they can just add the language automatically to their profile. They could then also list their conlangs. That would leave the developer with the free time to work on other parts of the site that need fixing. Simple enough change.
OK, but then how do you justify having some languages already in the list and not others? (I think Viridzen's suggestion of using this for all languages instead of just the "other" ones would resolve this problem).
Why do you consider it odd that there are only two developers? For many years, it was just me and proycon working on the actual code of the site. Wsz also worked on some parts as well at times, but it was just 2 people most of the time, especially during the main growth period, from 2000 to 2005.
I'll admit I didn't know that, and it may have worked just fine back then, but at this point, I find it odd for the following reasons:
1. Apparently, there are various things on UniLang that haven't been fixed for years. If there were more developers, maybe they would get fixed more quickly.
2. zeme is the only UniLanger who's even listed as a developer, but the only people working on the site are the two server administrators. Why?
3. Yserenhart says both he and proycon are really busy. If there were more developers, would that really be so much of a problem?
4. Two other users have expressed interest in fixing at least this issue, but apparently, neither of them is allowed to.
In fact, one of them offered to help out as far back as five years ago. So why not let one or both of them help out? What is the issue, at least as far as actually improving the website is concerned?