Re: [tlug] "Open source: Made in Japan?" blog

[Edward Middleton <emiddleton@example.com>]

Jim Grisanzio wrote:
> Curt Sampson wrote:
> > I think that the language and culture barrier has just been keeping
> > westerners from noticing the amount of OSS work being done here.
> >   
>
> I totally agree on the language/cultural barriers. I find very few in 
> the west interested in development taking place in Japan, but I also 
> find very little interest here in exploring anything outside of Japan.

I don't know,  my experience has been that Japanese developers have more 
problems engaging with projects outside Japan but they have a strong 
interest in learning from outside development.  I think this is mostly a 
result of an emphasis in the Japanese education system on reading rather 
then communicating in English.  I know a lot of Japanese who can read 
and understand fairly technical English text but would not be confident 
to discuss or explain them in written or spoken English.  I also find a 
lot of Japanese can't skim English text and pull out the salient facts.

Edward