Current software in Basque

1996/11/01 Kaltzada, Pili - Elhuyar Zientziaren Komunikazioa Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Softwarea

The Department of Informatics was born fourteen years ago under the magic of the Basque Summer University. Fourteen years does not seem too much in the development of a discipline, but computer science has jumped in that time from prehistory to times of maximum production. As for software in Basque, the change that has occurred over the years has been greater and more spectacular; if nothing, we have come to acquire new tools for the future.

The road, however, has not ended and at the beginning of the new century we have to analyze the links between Basque and computer science. This is the objective of the spaces that will be held in the Miramar Palace of San Sebastian: to open the path of reflection, to analyze the details of production and to address new fields of gain of Basque.

When organizing such a forum, it is usually not easy to judge too soon, too late or at the time. However, in view of the times when the need for reflection has been mentioned, there is no doubt that the November call comes later than desired by most professionals. As in other areas of Basque cultural activity, people who regularly work in Basque software have had to act alone.

The organization insists on the need to share concerns, problems, new approaches and new areas of work. There is no doubt that in the near future computer resources will increase and, in that context, Basque cannot be left in the background. In response, the Miramar Palace in Donostia will host on 22 November the “First Meeting of Basque Computer Scientists”.

UEU, pioneer

For the first time this type of meeting has been organized. And not, of course, because it was not necessary, but the other way around. Suffocated by daily work, the forces in many groups are oriented to survival and it is very difficult to look at a global perspective of work. The organization has recognized that “it takes time to organize these meetings, but the work of the organization has frightened us so far. But we could not go back: we have to solve these concerns and it is essential to meet people and talk about our problems.”

As mentioned above, the Department of Computer Science of the Basque Summer University has assumed the organization of these sessions. In fact, UEU computer scientists have been a good witness to the transformation process that software has undergone in Basque in recent years. However, they have not merely been monitors, but have tried to bring together the questions that have been raised over the years and which, in the opinion of some, were incompatible; if today there is Basque computing, it is largely thanks to the pioneers gathered around the EU. Of course, these have not acted alone, the task was too extensive to leave them on a few hills. It would be too long to collect here the full list of people who have worked on the creation of bridges between Basque and computer science, but the organization has reminded us that their role is not zero.

Since first meeting, things have changed a lot in the US Department of Computer Science. The EU itself has also had to adapt to the new times and in this process the computer scientists have not been left out. Since fourteen years ago it was decided for the first time to meet and was equipped with a departmental structure, many students and computer scientists have participated in the activities organized by the group. The Pamplona Summer Courses also show the evolution of the department. In the beginning only the sessions organized with the Department of Physics were offered, while this year the course organized around the web pages has been a success.

In addition to the topics, the evolution of computer science in our environment can be seen in linguistic competence. In the first issue of Txiplistinkako magazine published by the UEU Department of Information Technology, the following paragraph has been found as an example:

“How things change, the camera!

Now it is called compa and not the camera, compa!

Look! See how we said at that time: Operating Systems, Abstract Data Types, Natural Language, Natural Language, Ordinator, Computers… But the biggest failure we have collected with the computer. We leave: “… that no, that you do not have to say computer, that it is much more appropriate a computer…” But all Christ, including those of Euskaltzaindia, says a computer. They ignore us!”

Sometimes unconsciously and sometimes provoking a great stir, the relations between computer science and Basque have been getting closer. Specialized dictionaries, books, teaching programs and didactic material... nowadays you can find practically everything. But is all this enough?