Bug#649325: Package description perhaps misleading
Package: binutils
Version: 2.21.90.20111025-1
X-Debbugs-CC: debian-l10n-english@lists.debian.org
Severity: wishlist
Dear Maintainers,
translating the package description I found an old translation that I
disliked.
I'm afraid an inexperienced translator was mislead be the description.
Description: GNU assembler, linker and binary utilities
This is easy to understand, but in my opinion not entirely correct. One
might think that assembler and linker are not binary utilities (programs
to work with binaries). Having written the last sentence, perhaps the
short description is ok - the assembler prepares the input for the
linker, the linker provides the binary, other programs deal with the
binaries. I think the description should not provide reasons for
discussing
it.
There is also the name problem. Is the GNU assembler named GNU
assembler or
does it just mean the assembler written by the GNU folks? What is their
name for the assembler?
The programs in this package are used to assemble, link and manipulate
binary and object files. They may be used in conjunction with a compiler
and various libraries to build programs.
To me the long description is simply unfortunate. One could think
(depending on the command of the English language and programming
experience) that assemble, link and manipulate are valid operations for
binaries as well as object files. "They *may be used* ... to build" is
wrong - they *are* used.
Perhaps a possible rewording for the description is (recycling the
upstream (1) description:
Description: GNU utilities to create and manipulate executable files
The GNU binutils have been written to give the GNU system the facility to
compile and link programs. They are used during the build process and have
been ported most major Unix variants as well as Wintel systems.
An alternative to the first sentence might be:
The GNU binutils are used to compile assembly programs to object files, to
link them to executable files and to manipulate the binaries.
Kind regards,
Martin
1: http://www.gnu.org/software/binutils/
The binutils have been ported to most major Unix variants as well as
Wintel
systems, and their main reason for existence is to give the GNU
system (and
GNU/Linux) the facility to compile and link programs.
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