Re: ABOUT-NLS

[Bruno Haible]

Micah Cowan wrote in
<http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-automake/2008-03/msg00020.html>:
> > Automake complains/dies if ABOUT-NLS is missing from packages
> > that use GNU gettext.
> >
> > However, the ABOUT-NLS file contains much content that assumes
> > the package includes gettext (libintl). For this reason I had
> > removed ABOUT-NLS from Wget repositories (which I had only
> > recently added in during our move to Automake), thus discovering
> > Automake's issued error.
> >
> > For myself at the moment, I'm fine with putting it back in and
> > eliding the inaccurate information about running ./configure
> > --with-included gettext, etc. For the longer term, though, might
> > I suggest that ABOUT-NLS be modified to include verbage such as
> > "this package may support", "if this package includes an intl/
> > directory", or similar, to qualify those places where
> > accompanying gettext is assumed?
> >
> > Alternatively, an ABOUT-NLS "lite" might be provided, for use by
> > projects that don't include gettext in their packages, eliding
> > the inapplicable content.
> >
> > One example of the sort of thing I'm talking about:
> > > If you want to exploit the full power of internationalization,
> > > you should configure it using
> > >
> > >      ./configure --with-included-gettext
> > >
> > > to force usage of internationalizing routines provided within
> > > this package, despite the existence of internationalizing
> > > capabilities in the operating system where this package is
> > > being installed.
> >
> > If one of these changes are agreeable, I'd be happy to submit a
> > patch to this effect.

Thanks for the offer. ABOUT-NLS is provided by the 'gettextize' program;
this program knows whether there is an intl/ directory or not. Therefore
it could choose the right ABOUT-NLS among two or three possibilities.

Can you indicate which sections and paragraphs of ABOUT-NLS should be
removed or modified for wget? Is only the talk about --with-included-gettext
inappropriate?

> > I'm also mailing the automake list to allow them to discuss
> > whether the requirement on ABOUT-NLS should be altered (I'm
> > guessing it's probably better to alter ABOUT-NLS as mentioned
> > though).

If the localization of a particular package needs different instructions
than the default ABOUT-NLS has, then I agree that you should provide an
ABOUT-NLS of your own. Changing automake would not be so good.

Bruno