Ecosyste.ms: Awesome

An open API service indexing awesome lists of open source software.

Awesome Lists | Featured Topics | Projects

https://github.com/nscde/nscde

Modern and functional CDE desktop based on FVWM
https://github.com/nscde/nscde

cde desktop-environment fvwm released retro unix unixporn window-manager x11

Last synced: 6 days ago
JSON representation

Modern and functional CDE desktop based on FVWM

Awesome Lists containing this project

README 

        
Notices about localization

==========================



Introduction

------------



NsCDE supports localization by custom LocalePath for fvwm and UseGettext

directives in the FvwmScript scripts.



All part of visible text provided by NsCDE has localization ability with

the restriction of the Workspace names, which are localized according to

locale present during user's first setup. That is: "One", "Two", "Three"

and "Four" are translated by catching text with gettext(1). Later this

workspaces can be renamed by user as needed.



LANGUAGE and/or LC_MESSAGES must be set for localization to work correctly.



First translated language from original English is Croatian. Other

translations are welcome.



Both .po and .mo localization files are provided in the installation path

$NSCDE_ROOT/share/locale//LC_MESSAGES



There are some pitfalls and things which must be observed when translating

to the new languages. Existing .po files in "hr" can serve as a template for

new translations since just msgstr lines must be replaced and msgid's are

already there.



Warnings

--------



This are the things for which translator must be careful:



- FvwmScript based programs and dialogs are unflexible. This means text must

  somehow fit in dozen of the spaces english size of the phrases and sentences.

  This is not always the case, but visual testing should be made to see if new

  text breaks widget sizes or maybe exceeds in visually ugly way on some side.

  This means alternative wording in new language must be considered, or even at

  some places abbrevations deployed for things to stay smooth.



- Some smaller child FvwmScript dialogs are using parent ".po" files. For

  example, NColorsDialog and ModifyColor are using NsCDE-ColorMgr.po, while

  PaletteDialog is using BackdropMgr from the parent etc etc ...



Notifier

--------



- Notifier dialogs are flexible. Size of the text doesn't matter here. Only

  thing that can go wrong is that on the 7-10 places, there are split

  sentences which if translated literally, can break the logic of the sentence

  in a new language. Search "f_Notifier" FVWM function call in config, libexec

  and lib/scripts directories (Functions.fvwmconf specially) and try to

  reproduce them from command line with FvwmCommand or FvwmConsole. For example,

  you can wrote ~/Test.conf with the content 



f_Notifier "FpLite Function Error" "Dismiss" "NsCDE/Error.xpm" \

 "$[gt.Error: Func:f_FpLiteClickAction: Cannot find top(1), prstat(1m) or topas(5) in PATH] $[PATH]."



  ... and then call it with FvwmCommand 'Read $[HOME]/Test.conf'. You should see

  the dialog in english, and after it is localized, in other language. By picking

  this messages from the code and main system configuration, you can test it in

  the relatively easy way. Notifier translations are in the main "NsCDE.po".



  Warning: when recompiling "NsCDE.po" into "NsCDE.mo", NsCDE should be

  restarted immediately, or you rish the crash with the segfault. Looks like

  Compiled locale file are treated like dlopened libraries by FVWM.



  Other ".po" files can be msgfmt'ed without restarting NsCDE (FVWM).



- All Notifier translations are in NsCDE.po, either from this used by the FVWM

  functions or by the FvwmScript programs and dialogs.



Other Dialogs

-------------



- InputForm is also reading "NsCDE.mo" - used in FontMgr and ColorMgr for now.



Menus

-----

- FVWM menus are also flexible, but following should be observed:

  - acceleration key is choosen by prefixing accelerator key with a "&" sign.

    For example "R&aise" means if menu is opened and "a" typed, Raise will

    be executed. This "a" after "&" is underlined. In many cases, different words

    from english may not have that letter, or other options on the same menu

    can have it, even multiple times. It is on translator to introduce new

    acceleration keys here. Sign "&" is written in "NsCDE.po" file with the

    words in msgid and msgstr lines. See existing example, and consult fvwm(1)

    for more about FVWM menus.



- While menus are flexible, they can become excessingly fat if some translation

  considerably differs from english in length. As with FvwmScript, combine

  different wording and if nothing fits, try to use abbrevations.



Initial Setup

-------------



Initial user setup script is using "nscde-bootstrap.po".



Misc

----



- Probably you will run into double definitions, specially for some short string

  translations. If you see error from msgfmt, handle it. This is specially the

  true for the main NsCDE.po



- Test every translation. Do not assume it is ok until you don't see it.



- Many of the original messages are using over-capitalization of terms as in

  original CDE. In first (croatian) translation this is mimicked. It is up to

  the translator to decide if this questionable style is going to be followed

  or not, but if you decide not to follow, remember that some terms are names

  and must be capitalized anyway.



- Calendar applet does not have translation. LC_CTYPE (or overlapping LC_ALL)

  from the user's environment will set abbrevated month name automatically.



- Good place for LANGUAGE and/or LC_MESSAGES are ~/.bash_profile (or equivalent

  in other shells) or $FVWM_USERDIR/NsCDE.conf in the form of FVWM "SetEnv"

  directives for setting environment variables.



- Translations should be complete, or at least 90% complete. There is no point

  to have half translated localizations.