Annotation of embedaddon/lrzsz/ABOUT-NLS, revision 1.1.1.1

1.1       misho       1: Notes on the Free Translation Project
                      2: *************************************
                      3: 
                      4:    Free software is going international!  The Free Translation Project
                      5: is a way to get maintainers of free software, translators, and users all
                      6: together, so that will gradually become able to speak many languages.
                      7: A few packages already provide translations for their messages.
                      8: 
                      9:    If you found this `ABOUT-NLS' file inside a distribution, you may
                     10: assume that the distributed package does use GNU `gettext' internally,
                     11: itself available at your nearest GNU archive site.  But you do *not*
                     12: need to install GNU `gettext' prior to configuring, installing or using
                     13: this package with messages translated.
                     14: 
                     15:    Installers will find here some useful hints.  These notes also
                     16: explain how users should proceed for getting the programs to use the
                     17: available translations.  They tell how people wanting to contribute and
                     18: work at translations should contact the appropriate team.
                     19: 
                     20:    When reporting bugs in the `intl/' directory or bugs which may be
                     21: related to internationalization, you should tell about the version of
                     22: `gettext' which is used.  The information can be found in the
                     23: `intl/VERSION' file, in internationalized packages.
                     24: 
                     25: One advise in advance
                     26: =====================
                     27: 
                     28:    If you want to exploit the full power of internationalization, you
                     29: should configure it using
                     30: 
                     31:      ./configure --with-included-gettext
                     32: 
                     33: to force usage of internationalizing routines provided within this
                     34: package, despite the existence of internationalizing capabilities in the
                     35: operating system where this package is being installed.  So far, only
                     36: the `gettext' implementation in the GNU C library version 2 provides as
                     37: many features (such as locale alias or message inheritance) as the
                     38: implementation here.  It is also not possible to offer this additional
                     39: functionality on top of a `catgets' implementation.  Future versions of
                     40: GNU `gettext' will very likely convey even more functionality.  So it
                     41: might be a good idea to change to GNU `gettext' as soon as possible.
                     42: 
                     43:    So you need not provide this option if you are using GNU libc 2 or
                     44: you have installed a recent copy of the GNU gettext package with the
                     45: included `libintl'.
                     46: 
                     47: INSTALL Matters
                     48: ===============
                     49: 
                     50:    Some packages are "localizable" when properly installed; the
                     51: programs they contain can be made to speak your own native language.
                     52: Most such packages use GNU `gettext'.  Other packages have their own
                     53: ways to internationalization, predating GNU `gettext'.
                     54: 
                     55:    By default, this package will be installed to allow translation of
                     56: messages.  It will automatically detect whether the system provides
                     57: usable `catgets' (if using this is selected by the installer) or
                     58: `gettext' functions.  If neither is available, the GNU `gettext' own
                     59: library will be used.  This library is wholly contained within this
                     60: package, usually in the `intl/' subdirectory, so prior installation of
                     61: the GNU `gettext' package is *not* required.  Installers may use
                     62: special options at configuration time for changing the default
                     63: behaviour.  The commands:
                     64: 
                     65:      ./configure --with-included-gettext
                     66:      ./configure --with-catgets
                     67:      ./configure --disable-nls
                     68: 
                     69: will respectively bypass any pre-existing `catgets' or `gettext' to use
                     70: the internationalizing routines provided within this package, enable
                     71: the use of the `catgets' functions (if found on the locale system), or
                     72: else, *totally* disable translation of messages.
                     73: 
                     74:    When you already have GNU `gettext' installed on your system and run
                     75: configure without an option for your new package, `configure' will
                     76: probably detect the previously built and installed `libintl.a' file and
                     77: will decide to use this.  This might be not what is desirable.  You
                     78: should use the more recent version of the GNU `gettext' library.  I.e.
                     79: if the file `intl/VERSION' shows that the library which comes with this
                     80: package is more recent, you should use
                     81: 
                     82:      ./configure --with-included-gettext
                     83: 
                     84: to prevent auto-detection.
                     85: 
                     86:    By default the configuration process will not test for the `catgets'
                     87: function and therefore they will not be used.  The reasons are already
                     88: given above: the emulation on top of `catgets' cannot provide all the
                     89: extensions provided by the GNU `gettext' library.  If you nevertheless
                     90: want to use the `catgets' functions use
                     91: 
                     92:      ./configure --with-catgets
                     93: 
                     94: to enable the test for `catgets' (this causes no harm if `catgets' is
                     95: not available on your system).  If you really select this option we
                     96: would like to hear about the reasons because we cannot think of any
                     97: good one ourself.
                     98: 
                     99:    Internationalized packages have usually many `po/LL.po' files, where
                    100: LL gives an ISO 639 two-letter code identifying the language.  Unless
                    101: translations have been forbidden at `configure' time by using the
                    102: `--disable-nls' switch, all available translations are installed
                    103: together with the package.  However, the environment variable `LINGUAS'
                    104: may be set, prior to configuration, to limit the installed set.
                    105: `LINGUAS' should then contain a space separated list of two-letter
                    106: codes, stating which languages are allowed.
                    107: 
                    108: Using This Package
                    109: ==================
                    110: 
                    111:    As a user, if your language has been installed for this package, you
                    112: only have to set the `LANG' environment variable to the appropriate
                    113: ISO 639 `LL' two-letter code prior to using the programs in the
                    114: package.  For example, let's suppose that you speak German.  At the
                    115: shell prompt, merely execute `setenv LANG de' (in `csh'),
                    116: `export LANG; LANG=de' (in `sh') or `export LANG=de' (in `bash').  This
                    117: can be done from your `.login' or `.profile' file, once and for all.
                    118: 
                    119:    An operating system might already offer message localization for
                    120: many of its programs, while other programs have been installed locally
                    121: with the full capabilities of GNU `gettext'.  Just using `gettext'
                    122: extended syntax for `LANG' would break proper localization of already
                    123: available operating system programs.  In this case, users should set
                    124: both `LANGUAGE' and `LANG' variables in their environment, as programs
                    125: using GNU `gettext' give preference to `LANGUAGE'.  For example, some
                    126: Swedish users would rather read translations in German than English for
                    127: when Swedish is not available.  This is easily accomplished by setting
                    128: `LANGUAGE' to `sv:de' while leaving `LANG' to `sv'.
                    129: 
                    130: Translating Teams
                    131: =================
                    132: 
                    133:    For the Free Translation Project to be a success, we need interested
                    134: people who like their own language and write it well, and who are also
                    135: able to synergize with other translators speaking the same language.
                    136: Each translation team has its own mailing list, courtesy of Linux
                    137: International.  You may reach your translation team at the address
                    138: `LL@li.org', replacing LL by the two-letter ISO 639 code for your
                    139: language.  Language codes are *not* the same as the country codes given
                    140: in ISO 3166.  The following translation teams exist, as of August 1997:
                    141: 
                    142:      Chinese `zh', Czech `cs', Danish `da', Dutch `nl', English `en',
                    143:      Esperanto `eo', Finnish `fi', French `fr', German `de', Hungarian
                    144:      `hu', Irish `ga', Italian `it', Indonesian `id', Japanese `ja',
                    145:      Korean `ko', Latin `la', Norwegian `no', Persian `fa', Polish
                    146:      `pl', Portuguese `pt', Russian `ru', Slovenian `sl', Spanish `es',
                    147:      Swedish `sv', and Turkish `tr'.
                    148: 
                    149: For example, you may reach the Chinese translation team by writing to
                    150: `zh@li.org'.
                    151: 
                    152:    If you'd like to volunteer to *work* at translating messages, you
                    153: should become a member of the translating team for your own language.
                    154: The subscribing address is *not* the same as the list itself, it has
                    155: `-request' appended.  For example, speakers of Swedish can send a
                    156: message to `sv-request@li.org', having this message body:
                    157: 
                    158:      subscribe
                    159: 
                    160:    Keep in mind that team members are expected to participate
                    161: *actively* in translations, or at solving translational difficulties,
                    162: rather than merely lurking around.  If your team does not exist yet and
                    163: you want to start one, or if you are unsure about what to do or how to
                    164: get started, please write to `translation@iro.umontreal.ca' to reach the
                    165: coordinator for all translator teams.
                    166: 
                    167:    The English team is special.  It works at improving and uniformizing
                    168: the terminology in use.  Proven linguistic skill are praised more than
                    169: programming skill, here.
                    170: 
                    171: Available Packages
                    172: ==================
                    173: 
                    174:    Languages are not equally supported in all packages.  The following
                    175: matrix shows the current state of internationalization, as of August
                    176: 1997.  The matrix shows, in regard of each package, for which languages
                    177: PO files have been submitted to translation coordination.
                    178: 
                    179:      Ready PO files    cs da de en es fi fr it ja ko nl no pl pt sl sv
                    180:                      .-------------------------------------------------.
                    181:      bash            |       []          []          []                |  3
                    182:      bison           |       []          []          []                |  3
                    183:      clisp           |       [] [] []    []                            |  4
                    184:      cpio            |       []    []    []          []    []          |  5
                    185:      diffutils       |       []    []    []                []       [] |  5
                    186:      enscript        |       []    [] [] []          []          []    |  6
                    187:      fileutils       | []    []    []    []       [] []    [] [] [] [] | 10
                    188:      findutils       |       []    []    [] []    [] []    []       [] |  8
                    189:      flex            |             []    []       []                [] |  4
                    190:      gcal            |       []          []          []    []       [] |  5
                    191:      gettext         |       []    []    []       [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 11
                    192:      grep            |       []    []    []       [] [] [] []    [] [] |  9
                    193:      hello           |       []    []    []       [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 10
                    194:      id-utils        |       []          []                []          |  3
                    195:      indent          |    [] []                   []       []          |  4
                    196:      libc            |       []    []    []       [] []    []       [] |  7
                    197:      m4              |       []          []    []    []             [] |  5
                    198:      make            |       []    []    []       [] []    []          |  6
                    199:      music           |                   []                []          |  2
                    200:      ptx             |       []    []    []          [] [] [] []    [] |  8
                    201:      recode          |    [] []    []    []          []    [] [] [] [] |  9
                    202:      sh-utils        |       []          []          [] [] [] []    [] |  7
                    203:      sharutils       |       []    []    []          []             [] |  5
                    204:      tar             |       []          [] []    [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 10
                    205:      texinfo         |                   []                            |  1
                    206:      textutils       | []    []    []    []       [] [] [] []       [] |  9
                    207:      wdiff           | []    []    []    []          [] [] []       [] |  8
                    208:                      `-------------------------------------------------'
                    209:        16 languages    cs da de en es fi fr it ja ko nl no pl pt sl sv
                    210:        27 packages      3  2 24  1 17  1 26  2  1 11 20  9 19  7  7 17  167
                    211: 
                    212:    Some counters in the preceding matrix are higher than the number of
                    213: visible blocks let us expect.  This is because a few extra PO files are
                    214: used for implementing regional variants of languages, or language
                    215: dialects.
                    216: 
                    217:    For a PO file in the matrix above to be effective, the package to
                    218: which it applies should also have been internationalized and
                    219: distributed as such by its maintainer.  There might be an observable
                    220: lag between the mere existence a PO file and its wide availability in a
                    221: distribution.
                    222: 
                    223:    If August 1997 seems to be old, you may fetch a more recent copy of
                    224: this `ABOUT-NLS' file on most GNU archive sites.
                    225: 

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