Re: [Translation-i18n] The reason for make dist updating po files

[Keld Jørn Simonsen <keld dkuug dk>]

On Tue, May 27, 2003 at 04:41:05PM +0200, Christian Rose wrote:
> tis 2003-05-27 klockan 13.33 skrev Bruno Haible:
> > Taken together, the goal is that a translator starts from a PO file that
> > reflects the current state of the code.
> > 
> > Now comes the question: How is the PO file transferred from the developers
> > to the translators? In other words, where do the translators pick up the PO
> > file?
> > 
> > In the traditional distribution model for many packages, the ftp servers
> > containing the released .tar.gz files are the primary means of pick up.
> > This mode is also a good way for the translators because
> >   - this way, they have source references, and can throw a glimpse on the
> >     source code in order to get some context.
> >   - this way, they can build the package and test their translation.
> > That's why "make dist" updates the PO files.
> > 
> > In GNOME, apparently, a second transfer channel has been added: translators
> > pick up the PO files from the CVS. It is reasonable that for this case
> > the translators use intltool-update (which invokes msgmerge) before they
> > start their translation work.
> 
> Exactly. In fact, we also have a third transfer channel, which is the
> GNOME translation status pages
> (http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gtp/status/), put together by
> Carlos. On these pages, all pot and po files are instantly accessible
> and together with the stats refreshed and regenerated (through
> intltool-update on the current cvs sources) several times a day. So
> translators always have an alternative, simple access to reasonably
> up-to-date pot and po files without having to use cvs or intltool
> themselves if they cannot use those or do not want to.

this method of picking the PO files from a status web site is actually
also common for other projects, GNU TP does it this way, as well as
Mandrake and Debian. For KDE you pick up a tarball of po files for a specific 
language only, no sources for the progarms themselves. SuSE does it in
ths way also (tarball). So it is very common not to pick up all for the
source in order to do translations. Of cause you can pick up the sources
and you can normally get everything out of a cvs. But taking the full
source out of cvs takes time and space, I just found out I had 300 Mb for
my Mandrake translations, where I only needed about 5 Mb danish po
files.

Also it is normal that any msgmerging has been applied when picking up the 
po file. This is the case in all of the above cases.

I think the general rule is that you do not have full source so any
guidance should list this as the major case.

Best regards
keld