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Re: Translations [of Documentation] in Git release?

From
Peter Krefting <peter@softwolves.pp.se>
Date
Jan 27, 2009, 14:45 UTC
Message-ID
<Pine.LNX.4.64.0901271541250.26770@ds9.cixit.se>
In-Reply-To
<200901271216.59687.jnareb@gmail.com>
Jakub Narebski:
> Fundamental, that program output is considered API (at least for
> plumbing commands) and used when scripting (this might be ameliorated
> with "I am script" switch or environmental variable).

That's a bug. Protocol data (which one could consider the plumbing output to be) should never be forwarded to the end-user, except for debugging purposes. It is the porcelain's task here to translate the messages for the user.

Plumbing commands could still output semi-readable English, but it is still to be considered protocol, and be hidden from the user. Having low-level protocol data filter through to the end-user is a common mistake in software, unfortunately, and makes internationalization and localization a lot harder.

Of course, if the user insists on calling the plumbing commands directly, he will not get translated output. That's expected behaviour.

> Technical, because Git is mixture of programs in C, shell scripts,
> and Perl scripts, and you have to come with technical means of
> translating messages in all three of them.

Gettext has succesfully been used to translate messages in all of these environments, so that should not be a big problem.

> Not in all cases. Sometimes it shows "long usage". Perhaps that
> should be made more consistent?
Consistency is good.
-- 
\\// Peter - http://www.softwolves.pp.se/
Previous: Jakub NarebskiNext: Dill
Message 13 of 15 in “Translations in Git release?”
  1. DillJan 25, 2009
  2. Jeff KingJan 25, 2009
  3. Johannes GilgerJan 26, 2009
  4. Peter KreftingJan 26, 2009
  5. Jakub NarebskiJan 26, 2009
  6. Peter KreftingJan 26, 2009
  7. Miklos VajnaJan 26, 2009
  8. Jakub NarebskiJan 26, 2009
  9. Mike HommeyJan 26, 2009
  10. Sverre RabbelierJan 26, 2009
  11. Peter KreftingJan 27, 2009
  12. Jakub NarebskiJan 27, 2009
  13. Peter KreftingJan 27, 2009
  14. DillJan 26, 2009
  15. Junio C HamanoJan 26, 2009

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