README.ddtp

   1 TODO:
   2 - URL-Remap for the translation files (to hack around the problem that
   3   they are not on any ftp server yet but only on http://ddtp.debian.org/)
   4
   5 Here is the original announcement of the ddtp support:
   6
   7 * To: debian-devel-announce@lists.debian.org
   8 * Subject: Translate files
   9 * From: Michael Bramer <grisu@debian.org>
  10 * Date: Sun, 6 Oct 2002 21:56:06 +0200
  11 * Mail-followup-to: debian-devel@lists.debian.org
  12 * Message-id: <20021006195605.GA30516@home.debsupport.de>
  13 * Old-return-path: <michael@home.debsupport.de>
  14 * User-agent: Mutt/1.3.28i
  15
  16 Hello all
  17
  18 After some discussion between Anthony Towns (a ftpmaster), Jason
  19 Gunthorpe (APT Developer) and some DDTP Coordinators we find a way to
  20 transfer the translated package descriptions from the archive to the
  21 user.
  22
  23 The translated descriptions need to be downloadable befor any
  24 installation process, like the other package meta information. We
  25 choose a new file per languages with all translated package
  26 descriptions. The package system can download one or more of this
  27 files at 'apt-get update' time and know the translations.
  28
  29 The new files are names 'Translate-$lang' and the file have this
  30 rfc822-format:
  31   Package: &lt;package-name&gt;
  32   Description-md5: &lt;the md5 checksum of the english description&gt;
  33   Description-$lang.$encoding: &lt;translated headline&gt;
  34    &lt;translated section&gt;
  35
  36 The encoding of the Description is 'UTF-8' in all languages normal.
  37 The files will be located at 'debian/dists/sid/main/i18n/' on the ftp
  38 server (for all architecture). In addition of the plain
  39 'Translate-$lang' file, there will be a 'gz' and a 'bz2' version and
  40 in future also the new incremental format version.
  41
  42 The &lt;the md5 checksum of the english description&gt; is the md5 checksum
  43 of the full english description, without the 'Description: '-tag and
  44 with all spaces and newlines. Look at this example:
  45  Description: XXX
  46   YYY
  47   .
  48   ZZZ
  49 is md5(&quot;XXX\n YYY\n .\n ZZZ\n&quot;) (perl-syntax).
  50
  51
  52 A future APT version will download one or some 'Translate-$lang'
  53 file(s) at 'update'-time. After this download it show a translated
  54 description instead of the english form, if it found a translated
  55 description of the package with the right md5 chechsum. The environment
  56 of the user will controlled this process (LANG, LANGUAGE, LC_MESSAGES,
  57 etc). With this the package system will never show a outdated
  58 translation.
  59
  60 The translations come all from the DDTP. A daily process on
  61 ddtp.debian.org make new 'Translated-$lang' files and a script on
  62 ftp-master request this files and move this to the debian archive.
  63 Now the first files are accessible at
  64         <a  href="http://ddtp.debian.org/pdesc/translatefiles/">http://ddtp.debian.org/pdesc/translatefiles/</a>
  65
  66 If you found wrong translations, please read the guides on
  67 ddtp.debian.org, make a better translation and send this per mail to
  68 the DDTP server. Don't bug the package maintainer!
  69
  70 Thanks
  71 Grisu
  72 --
  73 Michael Bramer  -  a Debian Linux Developer      <a  href="http://www.debsupport.de">http://www.debsupport.de</a>
  74 PGP: finger grisu@db.debian.org  -- Linux Sysadmin   -- Use Debian Linux