Re: gettext: --no-hash in msgmft

[Robert Millan]

On Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 10:31:04PM +0000, Carles Pina i Estany wrote:
> 
> Hello,
> 
> I'm thinking to disable the hash table in the .mo files. It's not used
> in Grub Kernel and it makes the size 10% bigger:
> 
> In a 473 sentences po file with hash it's 30633 bytes and without 28109,
> so it 's not a big difference.
> 
> Do we want to disable or it's just some KB in /boot/grub and we don't
> really mind?
> 
> Explanation: the .mo files has a hash table (by default) but gettext
> grub module is not using the hash table (it does search by bisection).
> 
> Why?
> a) code simpler and smaller
> b) for the number of strings the speed is not a big difference*
> c) less space used in /boot/grub/locale

Makes sense for .mo files that we use in GRUB, but what about the
system-wide .mo file, which is used by GRUB utilities?  I assume
gettext takes advantage of this hash table.

Is it possible to strip the hash table when installing .mo files to
/boot/grub ?  (Btw, our scripts don't install .mo files to /boot yet,
currently user has to do this manually)

-- 
Robert Millan

  The DRM opt-in fallacy: "Your data belongs to us. We will decide when (and
  how) you may access your data; but nobody's threatening your freedom: we
  still allow you to remove your data and not access it at all."