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| author | Bruno Haible <bruno@clisp.org> | 2003-02-17 21:28:16 +0000 |
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| committer | Bruno Haible <bruno@clisp.org> | 2009-06-23 12:10:09 +0200 |
| commit | 20b6d01237b2d514ab49527d171c0c31d376ef15 (patch) | |
| tree | 60b1acea83f16975ffedb71ea08b4b0b924b07bd /gettext-tools/doc/gettext_14.html | |
| parent | 3517cf98eaa5aebd0f58383d398fe42a09cb8518 (diff) | |
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diff --git a/gettext-tools/doc/gettext_14.html b/gettext-tools/doc/gettext_14.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..aa04c5c --- /dev/null +++ b/gettext-tools/doc/gettext_14.html @@ -0,0 +1,186 @@ +<HTML> +<HEAD> +<!-- This HTML file has been created by texi2html 1.52a + from gettext.texi on 17 Febuary 2003 --> + +<TITLE>GNU gettext utilities - 14 Concluding Remarks</TITLE> +</HEAD> +<BODY> +Go to the <A HREF="gettext_1.html">first</A>, <A HREF="gettext_13.html">previous</A>, <A HREF="gettext_15.html">next</A>, <A HREF="gettext_22.html">last</A> section, <A HREF="gettext_toc.html">table of contents</A>. +<P><HR><P> + + +<H1><A NAME="SEC241" HREF="gettext_toc.html#TOC241">14 Concluding Remarks</A></H1> + +<P> +We would like to conclude this GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> manual by presenting +an history of the Translation Project so far. We finally give +a few pointers for those who want to do further research or readings +about Native Language Support matters. + +</P> + + + +<H2><A NAME="SEC242" HREF="gettext_toc.html#TOC242">14.1 History of GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE></A></H2> +<P> +<A NAME="IDX964"></A> + +</P> +<P> +Internationalization concerns and algorithms have been informally +and casually discussed for years in GNU, sometimes around GNU +<CODE>libc</CODE>, maybe around the incoming <CODE>Hurd</CODE>, or otherwise +(nobody clearly remembers). And even then, when the work started for +real, this was somewhat independently of these previous discussions. + +</P> +<P> +This all began in July 1994, when Patrick D'Cruze had the idea and +initiative of internationalizing version 3.9.2 of GNU <CODE>fileutils</CODE>. +He then asked Jim Meyering, the maintainer, how to get those changes +folded into an official release. That first draft was full of +<CODE>#ifdef</CODE>s and somewhat disconcerting, and Jim wanted to find +nicer ways. Patrick and Jim shared some tries and experimentations +in this area. Then, feeling that this might eventually have a deeper +impact on GNU, Jim wanted to know what standards were, and contacted +Richard Stallman, who very quickly and verbally described an overall +design for what was meant to become <CODE>glocale</CODE>, at that time. + +</P> +<P> +Jim implemented <CODE>glocale</CODE> and got a lot of exhausting feedback +from Patrick and Richard, of course, but also from Mitchum DSouza +(who wrote a <CODE>catgets</CODE>-like package), Roland McGrath, maybe David +MacKenzie, François Pinard, and Paul Eggert, all pushing and +pulling in various directions, not always compatible, to the extent +that after a couple of test releases, <CODE>glocale</CODE> was torn apart. + +</P> +<P> +While Jim took some distance and time and became dad for a second +time, Roland wanted to get GNU <CODE>libc</CODE> internationalized, and +got Ulrich Drepper involved in that project. Instead of starting +from <CODE>glocale</CODE>, Ulrich rewrote something from scratch, but +more conformant to the set of guidelines who emerged out of the +<CODE>glocale</CODE> effort. Then, Ulrich got people from the previous +forum to involve themselves into this new project, and the switch +from <CODE>glocale</CODE> to what was first named <CODE>msgutils</CODE>, renamed +<CODE>nlsutils</CODE>, and later <CODE>gettext</CODE>, became officially accepted +by Richard in May 1995 or so. + +</P> +<P> +Let's summarize by saying that Ulrich Drepper wrote GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> +in April 1995. The first official release of the package, including +PO mode, occurred in July 1995, and was numbered 0.7. Other people +contributed to the effort by providing a discussion forum around +Ulrich, writing little pieces of code, or testing. These are quoted +in the <CODE>THANKS</CODE> file which comes with the GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> +distribution. + +</P> +<P> +While this was being done, François adapted half a dozen of +GNU packages to <CODE>glocale</CODE> first, then later to <CODE>gettext</CODE>, +putting them in pretest, so providing along the way an effective +user environment for fine tuning the evolving tools. He also took +the responsibility of organizing and coordinating the Translation +Project. After nearly a year of informal exchanges between people from +many countries, translator teams started to exist in May 1995, through +the creation and support by Patrick D'Cruze of twenty unmoderated +mailing lists for that many native languages, and two moderated +lists: one for reaching all teams at once, the other for reaching +all willing maintainers of internationalized free software packages. + +</P> +<P> +François also wrote PO mode in June 1995 with the collaboration +of Greg McGary, as a kind of contribution to Ulrich's package. +He also gave a hand with the GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> Texinfo manual. + +</P> +<P> +In 1997, Ulrich Drepper released the GNU libc 2.0, which included the +<CODE>gettext</CODE>, <CODE>textdomain</CODE> and <CODE>bindtextdomain</CODE> functions. + +</P> +<P> +In 2000, Ulrich Drepper added plural form handling (the <CODE>ngettext</CODE> +function) to GNU libc. Later, in 2001, he released GNU libc 2.2.x, +which is the first free C library with full internationalization support. + +</P> +<P> +Ulrich being quite busy in his role of General Maintainer of GNU libc, +he handed over the GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> maintenance to Bruno Haible in +2000. Bruno added the plural form handling to the tools as well, added +support for UTF-8 and CJK locales, and wrote a few new tools for +manipulating PO files. + +</P> + + +<H2><A NAME="SEC243" HREF="gettext_toc.html#TOC243">14.2 Related Readings</A></H2> +<P> +<A NAME="IDX965"></A> +<A NAME="IDX966"></A> + +</P> +<P> +Eugene H. Dorr (<TT>`dorre@well.com´</TT>) maintains an interesting +bibliography on internationalization matters, called +<CITE>Internationalization Reference List</CITE>, which is available as: + +<PRE> +ftp://ftp.ora.com/pub/examples/nutshell/ujip/doc/i18n-books.txt +</PRE> + +<P> +Michael Gschwind (<TT>`mike@vlsivie.tuwien.ac.at´</TT>) maintains a +Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list, entitled <CITE>Programming for +Internationalisation</CITE>. This FAQ discusses writing programs which +can handle different language conventions, character sets, etc.; +and is applicable to all character set encodings, with particular +emphasis on ISO 8859-1. It is regularly published in Usenet +groups <TT>`comp.unix.questions´</TT>, <TT>`comp.std.internat´</TT>, +<TT>`comp.software.international´</TT>, <TT>`comp.lang.c´</TT>, +<TT>`comp.windows.x´</TT>, <TT>`comp.std.c´</TT>, <TT>`comp.answers´</TT> +and <TT>`news.answers´</TT>. The home location of this document is: + +<PRE> +ftp://ftp.vlsivie.tuwien.ac.at/pub/8bit/ISO-programming +</PRE> + +<P> +Patrick D'Cruze (<TT>`pdcruze@li.org´</TT>) wrote a tutorial about NLS +matters, and Jochen Hein (<TT>`Hein@student.tu-clausthal.de´</TT>) took +over the responsibility of maintaining it. It may be found as: + +<PRE> +ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/utils/nls/catalogs/Incoming/... + ...locale-tutorial-0.8.txt.gz +</PRE> + +<P> +This site is mirrored in: + +<PRE> +ftp://ftp.ibp.fr/pub/linux/sunsite/ +</PRE> + +<P> +A French version of the same tutorial should be findable at: + +<PRE> +ftp://ftp.ibp.fr/pub/linux/french/docs/ +</PRE> + +<P> +together with French translations of many Linux-related documents. + +</P> +<P><HR><P> +Go to the <A HREF="gettext_1.html">first</A>, <A HREF="gettext_13.html">previous</A>, <A HREF="gettext_15.html">next</A>, <A HREF="gettext_22.html">last</A> section, <A HREF="gettext_toc.html">table of contents</A>. +</BODY> +</HTML> |