ABOUT-NLS:

  Checkin original version of ABOUT-NLS from the FSF.

ABOUT-NLS

+Notes on the Free Translation Project
+*************************************
+
+   Free software is going international!  The Free Translation Project
+is a way to get maintainers of free software, translators, and users all
+together, so that 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 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, only
+the `gettext' implementation in the GNU C library version 2 provides as
+many features (such as locale alias or message inheritance) as the
+implementation here.  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.
+
+   So you need not provide this option if you are using GNU libc 2 or
+you have installed a recent copy of the GNU gettext package with the
+included `libintl'.
+
+INSTALL Matters
+===============
+
+   Some 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 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 Free 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 August 1998:
+
+     Chinese `zh', Czech `cs', Danish `da', Dutch `nl', English `en',
+     Esperanto `eo', Finnish `fi', French `fr', German `de', 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', and Turkish `tr'.
+
+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 `translation@iro.umontreal.ca' to reach the
+coordinator for all translator teams.
+
+   The English team is special.  It works at improving and uniformizing
+the terminology in use.  Proven linguistic skill are praised more than
+programming skill, here.
+
+Available Packages
+==================
+
+   Languages are not equally supported in all packages.  The following
+matrix shows the current state of internationalization, as of August
+1998.  The matrix shows, in regard of each package, for which languages
+PO files have been submitted to translation coordination.
+
+     Ready PO files    cs da de el en es fi fr it
+                     .----------------------------.
+     bash            |       []             []    |
+     bison           |       []             []    |
+     clisp           |       []    [] []    []    |
+     cpio            |       []       []    []    |
+     diffutils       |       []       []    []    |
+     enscript        |       []       [] [] []    |
+     fileutils       | []    []       []    []    |
+     findutils       |       []       []    [] [] |
+     flex            |                []    []    |
+     gcal            |       []             []    |
+     gettext         |    [] [] []    []    []    |
+     grep            |       [] []    []    []    |
+     hello           |    [] []       []    [] [] |
+     id-utils        |       []             []    |
+     indent          |    [] []                   |
+     libc            |       []       []    []    |
+     m4              |       []             []    |
+     make            |       []       []    []    |
+     music           |                      []    |
+     ptx             |       []       []    []    |
+     recode          |    [] []       []    []    |
+     sed             |                            |
+     sh-utils        |       []       []    []    |
+     sharutils       | []    [] []    []    []    |
+     tar             | []    []             [] [] |
+     texinfo         | []    []             []    |
+     textutils       | []    []       []    []    |
+     wdiff           | []    []       []    []    |
+     wget            | []    [] []             [] |
+                     `----------------------------'
+                       cs da de el en es fi fr it
+                        7  4 26  4  1 18  1 26  4
+     
+                       ja ko nl no pl pt ru sl sv
+                     .----------------------------.
+     bash            |       []                   |  3
+     bison           |       []                   |  3
+     clisp           |                            |  4
+     cpio            |    [] []    []             |  6
+     diffutils       |             []          [] |  5
+     enscript        |       []             []    |  6
+     fileutils       |    [] []    [] [] [] [] [] | 11
+     findutils       |    [] []    []    []    [] |  9
+     flex            |    []                   [] |  4
+     gcal            |       []    []          [] |  5
+     gettext         |    [] [] [] [] []    [] [] | 13
+     grep            |    [] [] [] []    [] [] [] | 11
+     hello           |    [] [] [] [] []    [] [] | 12
+     id-utils        |             []             |  3
+     indent          |    []       []    []       |  5
+     libc            |    [] [] [] []          [] |  8
+     m4              | []    []          []    [] |  6
+     make            |    [] []    []             |  6
+     music           |             []             |  2
+     ptx             |       [] [] [] []       [] |  8
+     recode          |       []    [] []    [] [] |  9
+     sed             |                            |  0
+     sh-utils        |       [] [] [] []       [] |  8
+     sharutils       |       []                [] |  7
+     tar             |    [] [] [] [] []    [] [] | 11
+     texinfo         |       []                   |  4
+     textutils       |    [] [] [] []          [] |  9
+     wdiff           |       [] [] []          [] |  8
+     wget            |          []                |  5
+                     `----------------------------'
+       18 teams        ja ko nl no pl pt ru sl sv
+       29 domains       1 12 21 11 19  7  5  7 17  191
+
+   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
+distribution.
+
+   If August 1998 seems to be old, you may fetch a more recent copy of
+this `ABOUT-NLS' file on most GNU archive sites.
+
+Using `gettext' in new packages
+===============================
+
+   If you are writing a freely available program and want to
+internationalize it you are welcome to use GNU `gettext' in your
+package.  Of course the GNU Public License applies to your sources from
+then if you include `gettext' directly in your distribution on but
+since you are writing free software anyway this is no restriction.
+
+   Once the sources are change appropriately and the setup can handle to
+use of `gettext' the only thing missing are the translations.  The Free
+Translation Project is also available for packages which are not
+developed inside the GNU project.  Therefore the information given above
+applies also for every other Free Software Project.  Contact
+`translation@iro.umontreal.ca' to make the `.pot' files available to
+the translation teams.
+