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Re: Web-based translation for GNOME


On 18/03/2005, at 11:42 PM, Danilo Åegan wrote: 

Basically, we have tracking (who did what), reservation ("I'm working
on this, don't touch"), glossary and restrictions (you can't update PO
file which someone is working on) and (static web pages) rules.
E-mail announcements about updated translations go to the mailing list.

These are good features: is there some way we can put our effort into one place, and not diffuse it like this? A central translation resource, with aliases (at least) to all that kind of information, is what, I firmly believe, after stumbling around in the i18n arena for some weeks now, we really need.

3) Pootle has the potential to make coordinating a language much easier
as you know whose assigned what could set goals, etc 

I agree.  But I probably have too much experience with my system, that
I'm unwilling to sacrifice advantages it brings for advantages Pootle
would bring, so basically,...

C'mon, that means you bring those advantages to creating Pootle, if you're willing to do that. Your experience has to be enormously valuable to any project creating such a tool. 

My problem with Pootle is only that: I have my own biases, and it's
hard for me to overcome them, especially since I have my share of code
which overlaps with what Pootle tries to do. :)

Yes, but sitting on opposite sides of a fence and staring at each other isn't going to get anybody anywhere. The fact that there are (at least) two functioning online translation resources means we have some great stuff to share: let's start doing that.

While I think having web-based translation tool would be excellent for
official GTP, I find Pootle quite lacking in features.

I met a guy last week who refuses to use a cellphone: "I used a car
phone in the 80s they were big and impractical, been there done that, so
I'm not bothered with getting a cellphone"

From my sentence "I don't want us to make cellphones an official 
(meaning: promoted and recommended) way to talk to your mom", you
deduce that I'm saying "car phones were crap back then, so I think
cellphones are crap as well, and you won't be able to talk to your mom
with them".  Does this really compare? :)

You would be surprised how many people are unwilling to try something new because they made a judgement in the past about something else, which may not even be comparable. It's not that uncommon.

With OSS, you see programs in the earliest stages, from the bare bones, then being fleshed out with feedback and contributions from all over the place. Without making those bare bones public, you can't get that sort of involvement, which is crucial to OSS. However, immediately you get: "that looks kind of skinny, doesn't it?" :D

At Translate.org.za we're actively using it. Yip there are many things
that could be added and they are appearing every day. I've run it with
40 people translating Firefox into Zulu. We completed Xhosa in 2 days.

So, I should be more constructive, I agree :)

If we can all do that, you will have set a wonderful example. 

I guess what I'm saying is don't judge a moving target on your
experience from the first releases.


Well, one can judge something just by what it is, not by what it may
become :)

You can, but the pattern of change is also key information. A project which develops actively and not only invites but implements the contributions and advice of its community, produces a record which is evidence in itself. Sure, it's not a guarantee, but it's evidence of what _has_ happened, and what _is still_ happening. Anytime that changes, you will know about it. Meanwhile, the pattern of change, extrapolated, gives you a good indicator of how worth-while a project may be for you.

What can work now - or with a few changes - is to download the .zip file
from Pootle and extract that over your checked out Gnome. 

That's going to be very problematic (think: CVS conflicts).  I doubt
most translators have broadband and ability to "cvs up" their entire
Gnome checkouts prior to extraction step (they'd want only to cvs up
what needs cvs up-ing).

Yes, we need to be able to do things on a single-file basis. From the TP, I get update files emailed to me automatically, for the files under my name. Being able to login and update one's files via Pootle would work very well. Logging in could even activate messages such as "file x was updated to version y on date z." and a drop-down menu of actions to take: Note, Download zip, Open etc. One's personal page should contain a list of the files under one's name. 

from Clytie (vi-VN, team/nhÃm Gnome-vi)

Clytie Siddall--Renmark, in the Riverland of South Australia

á thÃnh phá Renmark, tái mián sÃng cáa Nam Ãc

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