TODO: - URL-Remap for the translation files (to hack around the problem that they are not on any ftp server yet but only on http://ddtp.debian.org/) Here is the original announcement of the ddtp support: * To: debian-devel-announce@lists.debian.org * Subject: Translate files * From: Michael Bramer * Date: Sun, 6 Oct 2002 21:56:06 +0200 * Mail-followup-to: debian-devel@lists.debian.org * Message-id: <20021006195605.GA30516@home.debsupport.de> * Old-return-path: * User-agent: Mutt/1.3.28i Hello all After some discussion between Anthony Towns (a ftpmaster), Jason Gunthorpe (APT Developer) and some DDTP Coordinators we find a way to transfer the translated package descriptions from the archive to the user. The translated descriptions need to be downloadable befor any installation process, like the other package meta information. We choose a new file per languages with all translated package descriptions. The package system can download one or more of this files at 'apt-get update' time and know the translations. The new files are names 'Translate-$lang' and the file have this rfc822-format: Package: <package-name> Description-md5: <the md5 checksum of the english description> Description-$lang.$encoding: <translated headline> <translated section> The encoding of the Description is 'UTF-8' in all languages normal. The files will be located at 'debian/dists/sid/main/i18n/' on the ftp server (for all architecture). In addition of the plain 'Translate-$lang' file, there will be a 'gz' and a 'bz2' version and in future also the new incremental format version. The <the md5 checksum of the english description> is the md5 checksum of the full english description, without the 'Description: '-tag and with all spaces and newlines. Look at this example: Description: XXX YYY . ZZZ is md5("XXX\n YYY\n .\n ZZZ\n") (perl-syntax). A future APT version will download one or some 'Translate-$lang' file(s) at 'update'-time. After this download it show a translated description instead of the english form, if it found a translated description of the package with the right md5 chechsum. The enviroment of the user will controlled this process (LANG, LANGUAGE, LC_MESSAGES, etc). With this the package system will never show a outdated translation. The translations come all from the DDTP. A daily process on ddtp.debian.org make new 'Translated-$lang' files and a script on ftp-master request this files and move this to the debian archive. Now the first files are accessable at http://ddtp.debian.org/pdesc/translatefiles/ If you found wrong translations, please read the guides on ddtp.debian.org, make a better translation and send this per mail to the DDTP server. Don't bug the package maintainer! Thanks Grisu -- Michael Bramer - a Debian Linux Developer http://www.debsupport.de PGP: finger grisu@db.debian.org -- Linux Sysadmin -- Use Debian Linux