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

[Bruno Haible <bruno clisp org>]

Kenneth Rohde Christiansen wrote:
> Actually I would like it if you had a look at intltool Bruno

Actually I already looked at it a long time ago. For example, the existence
of xml-i18n-unicodify convinced me that there was some need for "msgconv"
and the other new programs. And the "xml-i18n-extract" program gave me
confirmation that xgettext support for Glade files may be useful. But
also I shudder when I see 10 different po/Makefile.in.in patches, and
wonder why you haven't asked for version numbers in po/Makefile.in.in.

Now some comments based on intltools-0.26:

* intltool-unicodify can IMO use msgconv instead of iconv.

* doc/I18N-HOWTO
  - Step 2:
    Nowadays one uses the filename 'configure.ac' instead of
    'configure.in'.
  - Step 5:
    Comment for "gettextize --force --copy" says that it
    creates po/ and intl/. Actually, since version 0.11,
    this commands creates no intl/ directory any more.
  - Step 10:
    AM_WITH_NLS has never been documented, and was removed
    since gettext 0.11. Use AM_GNU_GETTEXT([external])
    instead.
  - Step 10:
    Setting ALL_LINGUAS="da nl" in configure.{in,ac} is
    deprecated since 0.11; instead a file po/LINGUAS is
    recommended. This avoids lengthy runs of autoconf and automake
    each time a catalog is added.
  - Step 10:
    You recommend AM_GLIB_GNU_GETTEXT - but you said intltools
    had a broader spectrum than GNOME ? Btw, what does
    AM_GLIB_GNU_GETTEXT provide that AM_GNU_GETTEXT doesn't?
  - Step 15:
    Instead of src/i18n-support.h I recommend to install the
    gettext.h file (since gettext 0.11). Like this:
      #include "gettext.h"
      #define _(String) gettext (String)
      or
      #define _(String) dgettext ("helloworld", String)
    This EXPLICIT_TRANSLATION_DOMAIN variable is bloat IMO.
  - Step 17:
    You forgot to #include <locale.h>.
  - Step 18:
    You can remove the -I$(top_srcdir)/intl since gettextize
    didn't create an intl/ directory.
  - Step 19:
    You can remove the intl from SUBDIRS since gettextize
    didn't create an intl/ directory.
  - Step 21:
    "cp helloworld.pot da.po" is better replaced with
    "msginit --locale=da"
  - Step 23:
    There is no nl_DK locale on most systems. Probably this should
    read da_DK.

* intltool-extract:
  This is xgettext's job. Are the types "ini", "keys", "xml", "scheme",
  "schemas", "rfc822deb" used today? I'm asking because for Scheme, AFAIK,
  guile doesn't have a gettext binding; as of version 1.4, its character
  data type even supports only ASCII characters.

* intltool-merge:
  These are all GNOME specific file formats, so I feel this code rightfully
  is in intltools, not in GNU gettext.

* intltool-update:
  Do you think some of this is general enough that it belongs into GNU gettext?
  If so, which parts? Btw, is intltool-update a tool for translators or for
  developers?

Bruno