Messages in this thread | | | From | Xan <> | Subject | Re: i18n for kernel 2.7.x? | Date | Wed, 31 Dec 2003 16:25:24 +0100 |
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Dimecres 31 Desembre 2003 13:51, en/na Matthias Schniedermeyer (<Matthias Schniedermeyer <ms@citd.de>>) va escriure:
> On Wed, Dec 31, 2003 at 01:32:15PM +0100, Xan wrote: > > Hi, > > > > Just a thing: why not internationalization of kernel. That is, why not > > that the kernel could display error or debug messages in different > > languages (for example)? > > This is a FAQ. > > http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/docs/lkml/#s9-16 > > So it should be better to end this before it begins (again).
It appears that you (kernel developers) have panic about it. Wow!. What a contundent message!. It appears as a tabu topic.
In the link you provide me, there is the following information, but I want to point some comments about it:
** (REG) There are several reasons why this should not be done: ** - It would bloat the kernel sources
Yes it bloat the kernel sources. It's evident as the support of new driver will bloat. It's a redesign of a kernel in more abstract way and the majorty of all abstraction redesign do.
I think that the key is what we will win and what we will lose with i18n of kernel. I believe that the positive reasons have more weight.
Why not make a module that displays all the information from the kernel to the user, shell, ....?. It not only serve us for i18n. It could serve us as low support for Brailley's readers or any other outputs. Imagine that the kernel is running in a virtually reality machine. It could be interesting that if a kernel bug appears in some process, then the bug is displayed as sound, image and feelings (the next virtually reallity machine gerneration will support this). So there is a little work of kernel in this process of displaying bugs. isn't?
** - It would drastically increase the cost of maintaining the kernel message database
Not. We could have all the traductions as avaliable modules. If we want display message in catalan, so we have to "load" the cataln module and switch to catalan the display option of kernel. The database of messages?. If we have the english messages in the core kernel (eventually with an identifier), then, in some circumstances, the core kernel pass this message to module of display, say M, then M with the help of cataln module translate literally the english message in catalan message. I believe that M can add to the traduction some process as: "show it as brailley" if module is avaliable.
- Kernel message output would slow down ** We will have to think what optimize the message output with the new situation. I beleive that it's more prefered the abstraction versus a little bit more slowly kernel.
** - English is the language in which the kernel sources are written, and thus is the language in which kernel messages are written. Developers cannot be expected to provide translations
Yes, but the developers allways have the original message. We could add an id to any message. So any "translated bug" that we send to any developer has its id and so the devenloper could see the message in the id-message table.
And it's clear that the developers will not translate nothing. Sure there will be other people that would translate mesages.
*** - Bug reports should be submitted in English, and that includes kernel messages. If kernel messages were to be output in some other language, most developers could not help in fixing bugs
*** - Translation can be performed in user-space, there is no need to change the kernel
---> How?
- It would bloat the kernel sources Finally, it will not be done. No core developer supports this. Neither does Linus. Don't even ask.
And the internationalization of the Documentation directory, README,... files and the web page?
Regards, Xan. > > > > Bis denn
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