Re: Using Git and separating translations into their own l10n-LL repository

[Simos Xenitellis <simos lists googlemail com>]

On Wed, Jan 21, 2009 at 8:27 AM, Matej Urban <matej urban gmail com> wrote:
> Well, I'm sure the devels are able to make the system work in anyway
> they choose, that's why I yell so loudly to get all the po files of
> one language into one single directory. Now that would cut down the
> maintenance.
>
> If you take a look the translation process, you see, that it consists
> of 3 major steps. Acquiring the file(s) to translate, translating and
> commiting.
>
> When you "choose" the file, you have to know what is already
> translated, what is reserved, proofed ... or under revision. You also
> have to have a quick access to pot files. How many clicks you need to
> do that? If it's more than one after visiting the page from your
> favorite bar, there is something like click/bandwidth/time, that can
> be improved, right?
>
> Translation by itself is an individual project and has nothing to do
> with the git or svn.
>
> How many times did you "correct" a single word, that was not syncd in
> many translations? Last time I did that I had to "repair" 17 files.
> Why carry apple by apple from the market if you can take a basket with
> you. If you need more than one line in svn/git or one click on the
> website more than it's necessary, there is space for improvement,
> rignt. Getting the files up and down should mean NO effort. It should
> be easier then ftp-ing them to some server. The real work, with all
> the logging and diffing, crediting, upgrading and stuff should start
> from that point on.
>
> The last maintainer quit being a mantainer, because he had no time.
> The last zip that I sent him for 2.22 some time ago had 83 upgraded
> files. If someone sends me 83 files to commit, I'd break down and cry
> ...
>
> Then I'd start again yelling about SINGLE FOLDER for one language.
> Less time needed, less bandwidth, less clicks, less nerves, more
> translating and proofing. A winning situation.

Hi Matej,
Earlier in this thread I mention a possible way to have all
translations for each language in its own repository (thus, single
folder). There where some advantages and disadvantages with this
process. I am not sure if you managed to try it using the test
repositories from github.com.
I believe there is a potential to adapt the proposal so that the
disadvantages are eliminated.
If you want to have a look at it, it would be great. I'ld be happy to
discuss about it.

An alternative to the initial proposal of this thread would be to get
damned-lies to allow to commit many translation files, as described in
the other thread. The bug report is
http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=568295

Simos

> On Tue, Jan 20, 2009 at 4:55 PM, Kenneth Nielsen <k nielsen81 gmail com> wrote:
>> 2009/1/19 Matej Urban <matej urban gmail com>:
>>> Thanks, Gil,
>>>
>>> I will wait and see, but since I'm a translator/mantainer and since I
>>> doubt I will be able to upload many files at once, the only difference
>>> so far I see, is that I will replace keyboard keystrokes for mouse
>>> clicks. There will be no changelog, which is an improvement :)
>>
>> I don't see how this solution will NOT improve your situation. When
>> you want to commit you just have to upload a file via a web-interface.
>> Which means that you cut both space and bandwitdth down to a minimum,
>> the only thing left is time. You do save the time it takes out to
>> check out the modules and fill out the ChangeLog, but you do not get
>> to save the time you could if you could commit more files at once. But
>> in my opinion that should never be made a possibility (and I'm a
>> translation coordinator not a developer), you use verision control
>> systems (of any kind) to track changes, which makes it easy to revert
>> if you do something wrong, but that hardly makes sense if you commit
>> very large changes.
>>
>> Regards Kenneth
>>
>> PS: I have a commit script I can send you if you want to use it in the
>> meantime, but let me know only if you want to use it as I would have
>> to nicefy it a bit before ot could be used by others.
>>
>>>
>>> Anyhow, in the end I will use whatever I'll need to do it, but keep
>>> nagging about it. For some reason, I really doubt that single dir for
>>> all po files, is a big programing deal. No obsolete clicks, no hassle,
>>> just pure translation work.
>>>
>>> Matej
>>>
>>> On Mon, Jan 19, 2009 at 1:46 PM, Gil Forcada <gforcada gnome org> wrote:
>>>> Hi,
>>>>
>>>> Actually a lot has changed:
>>>>
>>>> - for advanced-translators the same workflow will be maintained.
>>>> - for plain translators a web interface to commit languages will be
>>>> provided.
>>>>
>>>> So I think you fall in the second option and thus you will need to have
>>>> access to http://l10n.gnome.org to download updated po files (like you
>>>> can do right know), track its status (like as of January you can do
>>>> right now) and commit them in source repositories (like you will be able
>>>> to do in a not-so-distant-future, Claude said it has a beta working
>>>> version that does this, I'm right Claude?)
>>>>
>>>> So, all in all, your workflow will be a lot improved since you will only
>>>> have to download and upload files from/to http://l10n.gnome.org :)
>>>>
>>>> Hope I haven't said any lie!
>>>>
>>>> Cheers,
>>>>
>>>> El dl 19 de 01 de 2009 a les 13:38 +0100, en/na Matej Urban va escriure:
>>>>> Hello,
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm really trying to understand the changes. The title sais:
>>>>> Using Git and separating translations into their own l10n-LL repository
>>>>>
>>>>> The title implies that ALL and ONLY po files from ALL the languages UI
>>>>> and HELP will fall into "l10n-LL" repository, but that will not be the
>>>>> case, as I understand. I really don't know why this is so unpopular
>>>>> among developers.
>>>>>
>>>>> I posted a bug http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=554257 and
>>>>> also a reminder that I don't fill-in the changelog entries. I can not
>>>>> find those great "scripts" in the gnome archive, that will do all the
>>>>> work in my place, nor can I write one, so doing it step by step is the
>>>>> only way I know. It takes TOO much time, TOO much bandwidth and TOO
>>>>> much space to maintain the language. Putting/linking/sync all po files
>>>>> in one single dir solves many problems for coords like myself.
>>>>>
>>>>> Please, guys, check again if there is a way to do that. Last
>>>>> coordinator dropped out of the translation game because this updating
>>>>> took too much of everything, especially his time.
>>>>>
>>>>> Matej
>>>> --
>>>> gil forcada
>>>>
>>>> [ca] guifi.net - una xarxa lliure que no para de créixer
>>>> [en] guifi.net - a non-stopping free network
>>>> bloc: http://gil.badall.net