Tracking debconf status
Hello again :)
I remember mentioning this before, and another translator did so
recently.
How do we keep track of changes in the debconf list and current
files, once we have worked our way from A-Zope?
The status page for debconf [1] is of very limited help as yet,
because I have found that:
1. files can stay in the update section for weeks, if not months
after being updated and submitted!
2. so how can you tell if a file is in that list because it _needs_
updating, or because it _has been updated_?
3. I usually do this in PO files by checking that my revision date is
after the creation date, but
4. As far as I can tell, the creation dates don't change when the
file is modified by the developer. Is that the case? It's certainly
not the case in other translation projects.
I've even tried making a database of debconf files I _have_ updated,
but because the creation dates don't change, it's not useful.
Moreover, the version number _can_ change without any alteration in
the original strings, so it's not an effective indicator, either.
So, how do we keep an eye on changes in debconf files? I would really
appreciate some advice on this from more experienced translators. I'm
currently wasting time opening each file in the update list, opening
my translation and diffing them in detail. :(
Another concern is how we become aware of new debconf templates being
added to the list for translation. I would really appreciate any
suggestions.
As a suggestion, I find the Gnome status pages, which state the
filename, version number and number of strings currently translated,
fuzzy and blank, extremely helpful. All I have to do is run my eye
down the percentage-translated column, and I can very easily spot any
file that needs updating. I know the distributed nature of Debian
(otherwise known as how long submitted translated files take to reach
the status pages ;) ) means we won't get the almost-instant update we
do at the TP and Gnome, but it would help to have the version number
included in the update table .. unless that changes without change to
strings...
I'm very confused about this situation. :(
Thankyou for any suggestions you can make.
from Clytie (vi-VN, Vietnamese free-software translation team / nhóm
Việt hóa phần mềm tự do)
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/vi-VN
[1] debconf status page for my language: http://www.debian.org/intl/
l10n/po-debconf/vi
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