Comments on: Creating multi-lingual versions of Firefox and Thunderbird? http://oduinn.com/blog/2009/03/30/creating-multi-lingual-versions-of-firefox-and-thunderbird/ Wed, 16 May 2012 01:47:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Zac Spitzer http://oduinn.com/blog/2009/03/30/creating-multi-lingual-versions-of-firefox-and-thunderbird/#comment-43600 Zac Spitzer Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:44:29 +0000 http://oduinn.com/2009/03/30/creating-multi-lingual-versions-of-firefox-and-thunderbird/#comment-43600 I think this is a much better plan. For example, as an Australian user the British version, Thunderbird defaults to googlemail because of the UK defaults. Imagine how much more user friendly this page would be with only 6 options http://www.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/thunderbird/all.html I think this is a much better plan. For example, as an Australian user the British version, Thunderbird
defaults to googlemail because of the UK defaults.

Imagine how much more user friendly this page would be with only 6 options

http://www.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/thunderbird/all.html

]]> By: John O’Duinn’s Soapbox » Fennec 1.0: after the dust settled http://oduinn.com/blog/2009/03/30/creating-multi-lingual-versions-of-firefox-and-thunderbird/#comment-43499 John O’Duinn’s Soapbox » Fennec 1.0: after the dust settled Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:10:51 +0000 http://oduinn.com/2009/03/30/creating-multi-lingual-versions-of-firefox-and-thunderbird/#comment-43499 [...] With this now proven to work in Fennec1.0, if you feel we should do something similar for Firefox, please comment below, or here, or in bug#485861 [...] [...] With this now proven to work in Fennec1.0, if you feel we should do something similar for Firefox, please comment below, or here, or in bug#485861 [...]

]]> By: LpSolit http://oduinn.com/blog/2009/03/30/creating-multi-lingual-versions-of-firefox-and-thunderbird/#comment-26102 LpSolit Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:57:50 +0000 http://oduinn.com/2009/03/30/creating-multi-lingual-versions-of-firefox-and-thunderbird/#comment-26102 I think this is an excellent idea! At my old job, where we were several workers having different mother languages, being able to easily change the language of Firefox and Thunderbird would have helped a lot rather than trying to read menus and preferences in a foreign language. If the size of the package is a problem, we could imagine that when you first install the application, it asks you which languages you want to install (select them from a list). These languages are immediately downloaded from the mozilla.org FTP server and installed locally. If you later want to use an additional language, just select it, and if it's not installed already, the application would download it and install it. This way, you only downloaded languages you really use. I think this is an excellent idea! At my old job, where we were several workers having different mother languages, being able to easily change the language of Firefox and Thunderbird would have helped a lot rather than trying to read menus and preferences in a foreign language.

If the size of the package is a problem, we could imagine that when you first install the application, it asks you which languages you want to install (select them from a list). These languages are immediately downloaded from the mozilla.org FTP server and installed locally. If you later want to use an additional language, just select it, and if it’s not installed already, the application would download it and install it. This way, you only downloaded languages you really use.

]]> By: Christopher Aillon http://oduinn.com/blog/2009/03/30/creating-multi-lingual-versions-of-firefox-and-thunderbird/#comment-26096 Christopher Aillon Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:52:57 +0000 http://oduinn.com/2009/03/30/creating-multi-lingual-versions-of-firefox-and-thunderbird/#comment-26096 For what it's worth, Linux distros such as Fedora and Red Hat have had this support for a long while. We include all the langpacks in our rpm packages and then all the user needs to do is select their language upon login (this is remembered for subsequent logins, and can alternately be done via the menus) which takes effect for all applications, including Firefox and Thunderbird. When it starts, it all just works. Other Linux distros do the same. For what it’s worth, Linux distros such as Fedora and Red Hat have had this support for a long while. We include all the langpacks in our rpm packages and then all the user needs to do is select their language upon login (this is remembered for subsequent logins, and can alternately be done via the menus) which takes effect for all applications, including Firefox and Thunderbird. When it starts, it all just works. Other Linux distros do the same.

]]> By: Wim http://oduinn.com/blog/2009/03/30/creating-multi-lingual-versions-of-firefox-and-thunderbird/#comment-26039 Wim Tue, 31 Mar 2009 06:47:11 +0000 http://oduinn.com/2009/03/30/creating-multi-lingual-versions-of-firefox-and-thunderbird/#comment-26039 You are right about the missing en-US languagepack. As a localizer I once wanted to check the English version instead of my own locale, so I had to install the en-US version first. I would vote for the bug. Another Gotcha: There is no update system for the languagepack "add-ons". So when Firefox or Thunderbird update to the newest version, the languagepack is not compatible with that version and should also update automatically. Another option for a user to create a multi-lingual pack would be if they are able to select the languages they want from a list and let the Mozilla servers create it on-the-fly, after which it can be downloaded. Of course this is way more complicated. You are right about the missing en-US languagepack. As a localizer I once wanted to check the English version instead of my own locale, so I had to install the en-US version first. I would vote for the bug.

Another Gotcha:
There is no update system for the languagepack “add-ons”. So when Firefox or Thunderbird update to the newest version, the languagepack is not compatible with that version and should also update automatically.

Another option for a user to create a multi-lingual pack would be if they are able to select the languages they want from a list and let the Mozilla servers create it on-the-fly, after which it can be downloaded. Of course this is way more complicated.

]]> By: Gc http://oduinn.com/blog/2009/03/30/creating-multi-lingual-versions-of-firefox-and-thunderbird/#comment-25995 Gc Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:31:50 +0000 http://oduinn.com/2009/03/30/creating-multi-lingual-versions-of-firefox-and-thunderbird/#comment-25995 70 languages and growing seems like an awfully long list. I imagine someone with a minor language as their first language might give up and use a second language rather than try to search through a long list, especially if they don't know the name of the language in english or the 3-letter language code or whatever they are sorted by (assuming they are sorted). Maybe this is an opportunity for someone to invent a locale switcher that can organize the languages in some way. Try to find an organization that will scale as more languages are added in the future. Some ideas to get started: a. like a timezone map, click a region, then show languages known to be spoken nearby, by traders as well as natives. (switch to smaller regions as number of languages goes up in a region. UN languages will show up in many regions.) Issue: users might pick location where they are now, not where they grew up. (can't give instructions since they would be in wrong language if user is trying to switch.) b. do the same but with a menu or hierarchical tree, and describe regions with icons shaped like the region. (can't name the regions since they could be in an unknown alphabet if user is trying to switch. Small regions might be hard to recognize in an menu icon.) c. allow the user to type the name of the language (native or english or UN language or G-20 language or ...) This assumes an Input Method Editor is installed for non-local languages. d. allow the user to type the language code (for repeat users at the language school, after learning code) 70 languages and growing seems like an awfully long list. I imagine someone with a minor language as their first language might give up and use a second language rather than try to search through a long list, especially if they don’t know the name of the language in english or the 3-letter language code or whatever they are sorted by (assuming they are sorted).

Maybe this is an opportunity for someone to invent a locale switcher that can organize the languages in some way. Try to find an organization that will scale as more languages are added in the future. Some ideas to get started:

a. like a timezone map, click a region, then show languages known to be spoken nearby, by traders as well as natives. (switch to smaller regions as number of languages goes up in a region. UN languages will show up in many regions.)
Issue: users might pick location where they are now, not where they grew up. (can’t give instructions since they would be in wrong language if user is trying to switch.)
b. do the same but with a menu or hierarchical tree, and describe regions with icons shaped like the region. (can’t name the regions since they could be in an unknown alphabet if user is trying to switch. Small regions might be hard to recognize in an menu icon.)
c. allow the user to type the name of the language (native or english or UN language or G-20 language or …)
This assumes an Input Method Editor is installed for non-local languages.
d. allow the user to type the language code (for repeat users at the language school, after learning code)

]]> By: jmdesp http://oduinn.com/blog/2009/03/30/creating-multi-lingual-versions-of-firefox-and-thunderbird/#comment-25976 jmdesp Mon, 30 Mar 2009 21:38:37 +0000 http://oduinn.com/2009/03/30/creating-multi-lingual-versions-of-firefox-and-thunderbird/#comment-25976 One source of problem I see is that some locales come with specific values for several preferences, but I don't know how it is handled in detail. If the way they do it is by changing the default value for a new profile, you won't get easily get the correct value for each local when you switch inside the same profile. But many most of what is not vert important. On th etop of my head the biggest problem I see is that those preferences are needed to adapt the font selection to the best choice to display properly the language, and you will loose somewhat to this regard if it can't be done. One source of problem I see is that some locales come with specific values for several preferences, but I don’t know how it is handled in detail. If the way they do it is by changing the default value for a new profile, you won’t get easily get the correct value for each local when you switch inside the same profile. But many most of what is not vert important. On th etop of my head the biggest problem I see is that those preferences are needed to adapt the font selection to the best choice to display properly the language, and you will loose somewhat to this regard if it can’t be done.

]]> By: AndersH http://oduinn.com/blog/2009/03/30/creating-multi-lingual-versions-of-firefox-and-thunderbird/#comment-25974 AndersH Mon, 30 Mar 2009 21:24:49 +0000 http://oduinn.com/2009/03/30/creating-multi-lingual-versions-of-firefox-and-thunderbird/#comment-25974 Couldn't the addon just grab the locales, that the user selects, off the ftp site? Such that the workflow would be: Download Firefox for any locale (probably already done), install the addon, configure the addon (e.i. choose what locales to enable -- which would grab the locale files). Couldn’t the addon just grab the locales, that the user selects, off the ftp site? Such that the workflow would be: Download Firefox for any locale (probably already done), install the addon, configure the addon (e.i. choose what locales to enable — which would grab the locale files).

]]> By: David Ascher http://oduinn.com/blog/2009/03/30/creating-multi-lingual-versions-of-firefox-and-thunderbird/#comment-25960 David Ascher Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:01:55 +0000 http://oduinn.com/2009/03/30/creating-multi-lingual-versions-of-firefox-and-thunderbird/#comment-25960 I actually want simultaneous dictionaries -- I want Thunderbird to underline words that are neither in French nor English. That's a non-trivial coding effort, though, I suspect. I actually want simultaneous dictionaries — I want Thunderbird to underline words that are neither in French nor English. That’s a non-trivial coding effort, though, I suspect.

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