Re: Re: Sqwebmail roadmap

On Apr 19, 2004, at 19:37, Reinke Bonte wrote:

> On Mon, 19 Apr 2004 18:51:54 -0400
> Sam Varshavchik <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> gettext is fine, except that it does not fit in sqwebmail's model,
>> where all language-dependent strings are already externalized into
>> separate files.
>
> That is not true, Sam, language-dependent strings are intermingled in
> HTML-files. This is a very big difference compared to programs that use
> gettext for internationalization. When a new version of sqwebmail comes
> out, the translation process starts almost from zero again, because I
> need to copy and paste the old strings from the old HTML-templates to
> the new HTML-templates. That is a lot of work, I know it, because I 
> have
> just done it. I, as a user, prefer gettext.
>

Right.

But I also know what Sam means. Those strings are at least not a part 
of the C code... at least that's what I _think_ he was getting at 
anyway.

Though you're also correct, in that one of the translators' biggest 
complaints has been that whenever the HTML files are changed, you have 
to very carefully check to see if your strings include any needed 
changes too... and even if they don't, you have to open each HTML file 
and copy your old translated strings into each file.

It's not a terrible headache, I don't think, when compared to some 
other situations. But it's certainly trouble enough that it would 
probably be better still if all the strings were loaded from one file 
-- for all the HTML pages that use them.

That's something I was planning to do in the i18n item from my list... 
perhaps only as an interim step(?)... for at least simplifying the i18n 
effort a little bit. -- But as I said, I haven't worked on any 
sqwebmail changes since at least December. Though, now that we come to 
it, maybe I'll make some more time to play with it... What with all the 
interest that's been restated recently. (Maybe... Assuming I _can_ make 
the time. ;-)

I mean, as opposed to integrating gettext, which I think would be a 
fairly involved undertaking (esp. for me, since I don't know anything 
about how that system works at all), then merely consolidating the 
strings used into one file (instead of being in each individual HTML 
file) should be a fairly simple thing.

It could mean an extra file open for every page sent... but I think 
that should be a minor enough bit of overhead to make it worthwhile to 
all except the few (very few??) servers which are already greatly 
over-stressed.

Heck... I'm not sure precisely "how" without looking around... but it's 
entirely possible we could load up those strings in the sqwebmail 
daemon and keep them in memory someway or another to avoid the extra 
read every time. hmmm.... *ponders*... *scratches head*... I'll have to 
look into that. Maybe even this weekend, since I'll be off Friday 
anyway.

Well -- That is, unless someone else takes a crack at another solution 
(or even this one, for that matter) before I get to it. =)

-jab