--- /dev/null
+Notes on the GNU Translation Project
+************************************
+
+ GNU is going international! The GNU Translation Project is a way to
+get maintainers, translators, and users all together, so that GNU will
+gradually become able to speak many languages. A few packages already
+provide translations for their messages.
+
+ If you found this `ABOUT-NLS' file inside a GNU distribution, you
+may assume that the distributed package does use GNU `gettext'
+internally, itself available at your nearest GNU archive site. But you
+do *not* need to install GNU `gettext' prior to configuring, installing
+or using this package with messages translated.
+
+ Installers will find here some useful hints. These notes also
+explain how users should proceed for getting the programs to use the
+available translations. They tell how people wanting to contribute and
+work at translations should contact the appropriate team.
+
+ When reporting bugs in the `intl/' directory or bugs which may be
+related to internationalization, you should tell about the version of
+`gettext' which is used. The information can be found in the
+`intl/VERSION' file, in internationalized packages.
+
+One advise in advance
+=====================
+
+ 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. So far, no
+prior implementation provides as many useful features (such as locale
+alias or message inheritance). It is also not possible to offer this
+additional functionality on top of a `catgets' implementation. Future
+versions of GNU `gettext' will very likely convey even more
+functionality. So it might be a good idea to change to GNU `gettext'
+as soon as possible.
+
+INSTALL Matters
+===============
+
+ Some GNU packages are "localizable" when properly installed; the
+programs they contain can be made to speak your own native language.
+Most such packages use GNU `gettext'. Other packages have their own
+ways to internationalization, predating GNU `gettext'.
+
+ By default, this package will be installed to allow translation of
+messages. It will automatically detect whether the system provides
+usable `catgets' (if using this is selected by the installer) or
+`gettext' functions. If neither is available, the GNU `gettext' own
+library will be used. This library is wholly contained within this
+package, usually in the `intl/' subdirectory, so prior installation of
+the GNU `gettext' package is *not* required. Installers may use
+special options at configuration time for changing the default
+behaviour. The commands:
+
+ ./configure --with-included-gettext
+ ./configure --with-catgets
+ ./configure --disable-nls
+
+will respectively bypass any pre-existing `catgets' or `gettext' to use
+the internationalizing routines provided within this package, enable
+the use of the `catgets' functions (if found on the locale system), or
+else, *totally* disable translation of messages.
+
+ When you already have GNU `gettext' installed on your system and run
+configure without an option for your new package, `configure' will
+probably detect the previously built and installed `libintl.a' file and
+will decide to use this. This might be not what is desirable. You
+should use the more recent version of the GNU `gettext' library. I.e.
+if the file `intl/VERSION' shows that the library which comes with this
+package is more recent, you should use
+
+ ./configure --with-included-gettext
+
+to prevent auto-detection.
+
+ By default the configuration process will not test for the `catgets'
+function and therefore they will not be used. The reasons are already
+given above: the emulation on top of `catgets' cannot provide all the
+extensions provided by the GNU `gettext' library. If you nevertheless
+want to use the `catgets' functions use
+
+ ./configure --with-catgets
+
+to enable the test for `catgets' (this causes no harm if `catgets' is
+not available on your system). If you really select this option we
+would like to hear about the reasons because we cannot think of any
+good one ourself.
+
+ Internationalized packages have usually many `po/LL.po' files, where
+LL gives an ISO 639 two-letter code identifying the language. Unless
+translations have been forbidden at `configure' time by using the
+`--disable-nls' switch, all available translations are installed
+together with the package. However, the environment variable `LINGUAS'
+may be set, prior to configuration, to limit the installed set.
+`LINGUAS' should then contain a space separated list of two-letter
+codes, stating which languages are allowed.
+
+Using This Package
+==================
+
+ As a user, if your language has been installed for this package, you
+only have to set the `LANG' environment variable to the appropriate
+ISO 639 `LL' two-letter code prior to using the programs in the
+package. For example, let's suppose that you speak German. At the
+shell prompt, merely execute `setenv LANG de' (in `csh'),
+`export LANG; LANG=de' (in `sh') or `export LANG=de' (in `bash'). This
+can be done from your `.login' or `.profile' file, once and for all.
+
+ An operating system might already offer message localization for
+many of its programs, while other programs (whether GNU or not) have
+been installed locally with the full capabilities of GNU `gettext'.
+Just using `gettext' extended syntax for `LANG' would break proper
+localization of already available operating system programs. In this
+case, users should set both `LANGUAGE' and `LANG' variables in their
+environment, as programs using GNU `gettext' give preference to
+`LANGUAGE'. For example, some Swedish users would rather read
+translations in German than English for when Swedish is not available.
+This is easily accomplished by setting `LANGUAGE' to `sv:de' while
+leaving `LANG' to `sv'.
+
+Translating Teams
+=================
+
+ For the GNU Translation Project to be a success, we need interested
+people who like their own language and write it well, and who are also
+able to synergize with other translators speaking the same language.
+Each translation team has its own mailing list, courtesy of Linux
+International. You may reach your translation team at the address
+`LL@li.org', replacing LL by the two-letter ISO 639 code for your
+language. Language codes are *not* the same as the country codes given
+in ISO 3166. The following translation teams exist, as of February
+1997:
+
+ Arabic `ar', Chinese `zh', Czech `cs', Danish `da', Dutch `nl',
+ English `en', Esperanto `eo', Finnish `fi', French `fr', German
+ `de', Greek `el', Hebrew `he', Hungarian `hu', Irish `ga', Italian
+ `it', Indonesian `id', Japanese `ja', Korean `ko', Latin `la',
+ Norwegian `no', Persian `fa', Polish `pl', Portuguese `pt',
+ Russian `ru', Slovenian `sl', Spanish `es', Swedish `sv', Telugu
+ `te', Turkish `tr' and Ukrainian `uk'.
+
+For example, you may reach the Chinese translation team by writing to
+`zh@li.org'.
+
+ If you'd like to volunteer to *work* at translating messages, you
+should become a member of the translating team for your own language.
+The subscribing address is *not* the same as the list itself, it has
+`-request' appended. For example, speakers of Swedish can send a
+message to `sv-request@li.org', having this message body:
+
+ subscribe
+
+ Keep in mind that team members are expected to participate
+*actively* in translations, or at solving translational difficulties,
+rather than merely lurking around. If your team does not exist yet and
+you want to start one, or if you are unsure about what to do or how to
+get started, please write to `gnu-translation@gnu.org' to reach
+the GNU coordinator for all translator teams.
+
+ The English team is special. It works at improving and uniformizing
+the terminology used in GNU. Proven linguistic skill are praised more
+than programming skill, here. For the time being, please avoid
+subscribing to the English team unless explicitly invited to do so.
+
+Available Packages
+==================
+
+ Languages are not equally supported in all GNU packages. The
+following matrix shows the current state of GNU internationalization,
+as of February 1997. The matrix shows, in regard of each package, for
+which languages PO files have been submitted to translation
+coordination.
+
+ Ready PO files cs de en es fi fr ja ko nl no pl pt sl sv
+ .-------------------------------------------.
+ bash | [] [] [] | 3
+ bison | [] [] [] | 3
+ clisp | [] [] [] | 3
+ cpio | [] [] [] [] [] | 5
+ diffutils | [] [] [] [] | 4
+ enscript | [] [] [] [] [] | 5
+ fileutils | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 8
+ findutils | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 7
+ flex | [] [] [] | 3
+ gcal | [] [] [] | 3
+ gettext | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 11
+ grep | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 8
+ hello | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 10
+ id-utils | [] [] | 2
+ indent | [] [] | 2
+ libc | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 7
+ m4 | [] [] [] [] [] | 5
+ make | [] [] [] [] [] [] | 6
+ music | [] | 1
+ ptx | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 8
+ recode | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 8
+ sh-utils | [] [] [] [] [] | 5
+ sharutils | [] [] [] [] [] | 5
+ tar | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 9
+ texinfo | | 0
+ textutils | [] [] [] [] [] [] | 6
+ wdiff | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | 8
+ `-------------------------------------------'
+ 14 languages cs de en es fi fr ja ko nl no pl pt sl sv
+ 27 packages 1 22 1 14 1 25 1 10 20 7 14 7 7 15 145
+
+ Some counters in the preceding matrix are higher than the number of
+visible blocks let us expect. This is because a few extra PO files are
+used for implementing regional variants of languages, or language
+dialects.
+
+ For a PO file in the matrix above to be effective, the package to
+which it applies should also have been internationalized and
+distributed as such by its maintainer. There might be an observable
+lag between the mere existence a PO file and its wide availability in a
+GNU distribution.
+
+ If February 1997 seems to be old, you may fetch a more recent copy
+of this `ABOUT-NLS' file on most GNU archive sites.
+
projects / pspp / blobdiff