[Python-Dev] Re: gettext in the standard library (original) (raw)

M.-A. Lemburg mal@lemburg.com
Mon, 21 Aug 2000 11:42:04 +0200

Martin von Loewis wrote:

> Just dreaming a little here: I would prefer that we use some > form of XML to write the catalogs. Well, I hope that won't happen. We have excellent tools dealing with the catalogs, and I see no value in replacing #: src/grep.c:183 src/grep.c:200 src/grep.c:300 src/grep.c:408 src/kwset.c:184 #: src/kwset.c:190 msgid "memory exhausted" msgstr "Virtueller Speicher ersch�pft." with memory exhausted Virtueller Speicher ersch�pft.

Well, it's the same argument as always: better have one format which fits all than a new format for every application. XML suits these tasks nicely and is becoming more and more accepted these days.

> XML comes with Unicode support and tools for writing XML are > available too.

Well, the catalog files also "come with unicode support", meaning that you can write them in UTF-8 if you want; and tools could be easily extended to process UCS-2 input if anybody desires. OTOH, the tools for writing po files are much more advanced than any XML editor I know. > We'd only need a way to transform XML into catalog files of some > Python specific platform independent format (should be possible to > create .mo files from XML too). Or we could convert the XML catalogs in Uniforum-style catalogs, and then use the existing tools.

True.

Was just a thought...

Marc-Andre Lemburg

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