Re: Types of quotes in xref linkend references

Am 02.03.26 um 00:10 schrieb Jamenson Espindula ([email protected] via
blfs-dev Mailing List):
> Em dom., 1 de mar. de 2026 às 08:59, Rainer Fiebig
> <[email protected]> escreveu:
>>
>> Personally, I doubt the usefulness/value of translations of LFS/BLFS
>> anyway because sooner or later the user will have to deal with English -
>> when asking for support or reporting bugs elsewhere etc.  And any
>> translation carries the risk of mistakes.  I also think that
>> translations of the books are based on the _assumption_ that there is
>> some demand for it.  But is there?
>>
>> Rainer
>>
> On "usefulness/value of translations of LFS/BLFS".
> 
> I understand that Unix and derivatives aim to be free (as freedom).
> Thus, as a system of software that respects the freedom of people, GNU
> plus Linux, Linux From Scratch, Beyond Linux From Scratch, Debian,
> among others, need to respect the local culture of people! I believe
> in a plural world, not a world dominated by a specific idiom and/or
> nation.

I think that you're mixing things up here.  And why would LFS/BLFS "need
to respect the local culture" of, for instance, Germany or Ruanda?  This
seems a bit absurd to me.

> 
> On "to deal with English - when asking for support or reporting bugs
> elsewhere etc".
> 
> No! Absolutely not. Supporting and bug reporting can/need/should be
> offered in other idioms too. We do not need/should narrow the
> possibilities. Is it implementable in practice? That is another
> discussion.

I don't agree.  A few days ago I bisected and reported a bug in the
kernel.  What do you think would have been the reaction or effect had I
reported this in German?  Or you would have reported it in Brazilian
Portuguese?

English is the lingua franca of the IT-world and especially of
OpenSource.  It's the de facto agreed upon tool for communication.
Let's be happy that there is one.  Otherwise progress would be very
difficult to make.

> 
> On "any translation carries the risk of mistakes".
> 
> As the Brazilian Portuguese translator of the books from the project
> Linux From Scratch, I can/need/must guarantee my best efforts to
> translate as accurately as I can, always respecting what the original
> author said. Neither more. Nor less.

I firmly assume that every translation of LFS/BLFS is done with best
intentions and with best effort.  But we are all only humans and we make
mistakes.  It's unavoidable.  And so I think it may be better to stick
with the original whenever possible.  But I must say that I'm rather
happy that LFS/BLFS is written in English and not (yet) in Mandarin.

> 
> On "the _assumption_ that there is some demand for it" [for translations].
> 
> I, personally, do not presume any demand for translation! Never did.
> It looks like some arrogance, but if I contribute only if that could
> make someone happy, then I never will really contribute. I contribute,
> specifically to the Linux From Scratch project, and generally to the
> free software (and documentation) because I believe I am doing my best
> to make the world a better place to live in! People who are more
> educated tend to be more engaged publically! Best citizens.

Well, making the world a better place through contributing to LFS/BLFS
is certainly a respectable motive.  Maybe I should re-eveluate my
contributions under this aspect.  One has to keep in mind, though, that
people have very different ideas of what would make the world a better
place - as the innumerable conflicts in our world doubtlessly confirm.

And on that note: I don't think that a systemd-only LFS/BLFS makes the
world a better place. :)

> 
> Is there some demand for translations anyway?
> 
> Well, if GitHub could be considered some kind of thermometer, at the
> time of this writing, my personal repository of Linux From Scratch
> translated into Brazilian Portuguese has fourty (48) stars and nine
> (09) forks. My Beyond Linux From Scratch one, has eight (08) stars and
> no fork. So, I can affirm that people, in some way, go to the
> repositories and read them.

Congrats!  But I still think that the main audience for LFS/BLFS are the
at least somewhat experienced and somewhat advanced Linux users.  And do
they really need a translated version of the books?  And should
therefore "translatability" of the source code of the books be a
criterium for the formatting of that code?  I don't think so.  But that
is just _my_ POV.

> 
> My last word is: people have choice! Is not Linux From Scratch about
> choices? "Your distro, your rules"!

No doubt about it.  And I never said otherwise.  It's your right to do
with your time whatever pleases you: "Your time, your rules!".

So long!

Rainer

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