[Gnash-dev] Re: internationalization files layout

[John Gilmore]

Sorry for the slow response...

> My proposal is as follows:
> 
> 1) Don't distribute .gmo files.

How will end users get translated messages, then?

> 2) Don't install .gmo files if gettext isn't found.

I'm not sure what you mean, "if gettext isn't found".  Found on the build
system?  Found on the target system that installs a binary package?

I think we pretty much have to assume that every installation is
internationalized.  The English-speaking population of Linux users
is a small fraction of the total users.

> 3) Don't update .po files on 'make dist'.

I was following the gettext manual:

  http://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/manual/gettext.html#CVS-Issues

  In projects that use GNU automake, the usual commands for creating a
  distribution tarball, 'make dist' or 'make distcheck', automatically
  update the PO files as needed.

  If GNU automake is not used, the maintainer needs to perform this
  update before making a release:

     $ ./configure
     $ (cd po; make update-po)
     $ make distclean

> 4) Keep the update-po rule to explicitly update gnash.pot and .po files,
>    to be used periodically with a subsequent commit.

The big issue is when to update gnash.pot.  It gets the messages from
the actual source code.  Then the .po files get merged with the updated
gnash.pot.  It is clear that this has to happen during the release process --
probably several times during the release process.  (Once before you
get the translation teams fired up to do their updates for the upcoming
release; once before the final release, to pick up any changes in 
messages in the source code; and at any other times that improve your
ability to provide translations.)  Yes, each time, there should be
a subsequent source-control commit of the altered files.

        John