Smolt I18N

[Dimitris Glezos]

O/H Jeffrey C. Ollie έγραψε:
> I've started working on internationalization for Smolt.  It's not ready
> to commit to the main smolt repository, as it's not complete and I'm
> sure I've committed some boneheaded mistakes because I've never done any
> internationalizing of code before.  I've set up a separate Mercurial
> repository here.  You can access it through the web here:
> 
> http://hg.ocjtech.us/smolt-i18n
> 
> or check out a copy of the code:
> 
> hg clone http://hg.ocjtech.us/smolt-i18n

Great!

So, let me grab this opportunity to see our future possibilities for maintaining
translations. I see us having three different scenarios in terms of hosting.

  1. A project is hosted on `cvs.fedoraproject.org` (example: Docs)
  2. A project is hosted on `hosted.fp.org` (example: Smolt)
  3. A project is hosted elsewhere (example: yum)


`cvs.fp.org` hosted
=================

The first is quite easy to handle: we give read-write access to 'cvsl10n' group
at the 'po/' subdirectory of each project. Translators use their FAS to checkout
& checkin translations. A WUI shows statistics. Everything is great. The Docs
project already decided to do it this way (and so will other projects if they
move development off elvis).


`hosted`-hosted
=================

The second is more tricky since PO files are hosted on a different server & SCM
of what translators use. Furthermore, the WUI needs somehow to "get" the
statistics and show them together with the other ones. Three choices here:

  2a. POs are hosted on `hosted` too. Translators can use the system with their
existing FAS-account. We give them simple directions on how to use the different
SCM (checkin, checkout, diff). Easier for maintainer, harder for translators.

  2b. Same as 2a, but translators can submit the PO files from the WUI (addon to
2a, not substitute). The WUI will act as a SCM client (will need to be able to
handle many types of SCM systems and be given commit access to po/ subdirs).

  2c. The maintainer chooses to handle the burden and copies the POs over on
`cvs.fp.org`, our "main" translation system when they need translation. Jesse &
Jeremy tried this and said it is ugly. However, some maintainers might want to
do it to ease the translators' job. With string & translation freeze dates, this
might get easier.


Hosted elsewhere
================

Basically, same as the second, but 2a. is not an option here. (Note: Translators
have showed preference to use only one SCM.)


Conclusion
==========

I, as a translator, would really like to have 2b. for every project not hosted
on `cvs.fp.org`. Otherwise, I don't see a way I could handle different SCMs
*plus* having to request CVS access to every project hosted elsewhere.


Hope the above helped give a better picture.

-d


-- 
Dimitris Glezos
Jabber ID: glezos at jabber.org, GPG: 0xA5A04C3B
http://dimitris.glezos.com/

"He who gives up functionality for ease of use
loses both and deserves neither." (Anonymous)
--