From: Michael Bramer <grisu@debian.org> To: devel-debian-annouce@lists.debian.org Subject: news from the DDTP Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2001 22:09:28 +0100 Cc: grisu-td-coors@auric.debian.org Hello, today we celebrate 'Happy New Year' and it's time to write a report about the Debian Description Translation Project (DDTP). The past (you can skip this) -------- The goal of the DDTP is to translate every package description into 'all' languages. Naturally, this is a huge task (in the past sid/main contained more than 7000 description) and this task needs a lot of coordination. In addition to this all descriptions will change from time to time. Some years ago the debian-ja project started some translation effort. Also some spanish Debian users translated (a lot) descriptions. But there was no real framework to handle this. The DDTP maintains the Debian Description Translation Server (DDTS). This server performs all coordination and checks daily for new descriptions, changed descriptions, sends notification mails to package maintainers and so on. A Debian user can allready use the translated stuff accessing some Debian mirrors with translated Packages files using modifiedlines in /etc/apt/sources.list. The present ----------- Most importantly: The DDTP is still running, and our archive continues to grow. For a pretty graph of this growth, look to <URL:http://ddtp.debian.org/pdesc/>. Here just some hard numbers: 9547 descriptions are now in the database of the DDTS 7643 descriptions are up-to-date in sid/main 4975 descriptions are translated into de 3154 descriptions are translated into ja 2678 descriptions are translated into pt_BR 2219 descriptions are translated into fr 1255 descriptions are translated into it We also have translations to 9 other languages. The DDTP uses its own BTS system. This was improved during the last weeks. The DDTS tracks all bugs and sends notifications to the translators. If the translator is inactive, the DDTS sends the description to a new translator. Additionally, the daily update process sends bug reports to the BTS if a description has been changed. You can see the "development" of such bugs on <URL:http://ddtp.debian.org/pdesc/bugs/> By using a proofreading process, we hope that we may get a better quality of translations. As part of this process, a reviewer may request a translated description to review and may add their review of that translation to the database. After three reviewers have agreed that the translation is valid, that translation has passed the review process. However, at the moment, only French and Italian translations may go through this review process. Some statistics: fr: 2219 descriptions are translated 1094 descriptions have one reviewer 353 descriptions have two reviewers 158 descriptions have three reviewers 127 descriptions have passed the process it: 1255 descriptions are translated 958 descriptions have one reviewer 57 descriptions have two reviewers 0 descriptions have three reviewers 0 descriptions have passed the process The DDTP runs on its own domain 'ddtp.debian.org'. The web sites are still very beta, but you can find first information on <http://ddtp.debian.org>. I asked the Debian ftp master to include some translated Packages files on ftp-master.debian.org some time ago, but that doesn't seem to be appreciated at the moment. OK. However, at the moment we provide an rsync-able directory on ddtp.debian.org with translated Packages files and some soft links and fortunately we found some Debian mirrors who are already supporting this (ftp.de.debian.org and ftp2.de.debian.org), though, we're looking forward to adding more. Currently you can use deb ftp://ftp.de.debian.org/debian-ddtp de/woody main in your /etc/apt/sources.list to use translated descriptions. Yes, this is a hack but it works well and it is the first step to wider support. In future we need real support for translated descriptions. You'll find more information in <ftp://ftp.de.debian.org/debian-ddtp/README>. See <http://ddtp.debian.org/pdesc/screenshots/> for screenshots of package managers that use translated descriptions. If you are a Debian package maintainer, you can get some infos from the DDTP. You can get notification mails from the DDTS with uploads of translated descriptions, you can put a veto on this uploads, etc. See <URL:http://auric.debian.org/~grisu/ddtp/ddts-pm.txt> for more informations. On <URL:http://ddtp.debian.org/pdesc/maintainer/> you can see your packages and their translation status. Finally, several translators and a reviewer have worked together to write a DDTP client that helps with various daily tasks. See <URL:http://perso.wanadoo.fr/nico.bertoi/ddts/>. The future ---------- packages.debian.org: I have added _beta_ and _testonly_ support to an interface. Please look it at <http://ddtp.debian.org/packages.debian.org/>. I asked on debian-www and maybe we will get real support on packages.debian.org one day. Web-interface: The DDTS currently has only a mail interface. Some people 'needed' a web frontend. So I rewrote some parts of the DDTS in the last weeks in order to make it more modular. Maybe we can add a second frontend and we get a web interface for some common tasks. Support on the Debian CD-Set: If I get time, I'll write a program that translates a given Packages file into a certain languages (pick matching translations and exchange the english ones). Maybe we can add this to debian-cd and produce (only optionally though) CD's with translated Packages files. Real support: We need real support in APT and dpkg. We wrote some requirements for this support in http://auric.debian.org/~grisu/ddts/translated-description-requirements.txt Help is appreciated to implement this. ddtp.debian.org: Make more use of this domain, make it to a real web sites and move the server from auric to this domain. Each of these items can use your help. If you want to be a supporter of the DDTP, but know only one language, these projects would benefit greatly from your energy. If you know more than one language, please help us to achieve our goals by translating descriptions. In any case, any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated. Thanks ------ Thanks to all the translators and the reviewers. This is your work. Thanks. Thanks to all the languages coordinators. Thanks to Nicolas Bertolissio for his work (server and script) Gruss Grisu -- Michael Bramer - a Debian Linux Developer http://www.debsupport.de PGP: finger grisu@db.debian.org -- Linux Sysadmin -- Use Debian Linux The only stupid question is the unasked one.