Bug#719778: italc: [debconf_rewrite] Debconf templates and debian/control review proposal

[Christian Perrier]

Package: italc
Version: N/A
Severity: normal

Dear Debian maintainer,

Hello,

I just noticed new or modified debconf templates appearing for this
package.

I would like to suggest you to consider calling for debconf templates
review AND translation updates when you introduce new debconf
templates or modify the existing templates in a package or, if you
prefer, to send a call for translations after uploading the first
version that introduces new templates or templates changes.

If you're interested in suggestions for doing this, you can find some
at the end of this bug report.

The debian-l10n-english team will now start a review, on our own
initiative. It will be conducted through this bug report.


Suggestions for future debconf templates review
------------------------------------------------

1) Getting debconf templates reviewed
--------------------------------------

The Debian i18n contributors have developed a set of suggestions for
the writing style of debconf templates, to give them an overall
consistency all around Debian. These writing style suggestions are
explained in the Developers Reference. Lintian also warns about common
writing style concerns.

Maintainers are welcome when they ask for a review of debconf templates
and/or packages descriptions on debian-l10n-english at lists.debian.org.
It is of course not needed to wait for someone (such as me right me)
proposing you such a review.

In such situations (whether the review is requested by the maintainer
or proposed by someone else), someone from the debian-l10n-english
team will pick up the review to do, handle it, and finally send you a
bug report with the suggested templates. If you want, you can ask for
being CC'ed to the various discussions when the templates are
reviewed.


2) Call for new translations
----------------------------

As soon as the templates have been reviewed, you can ask Debian
translators for new translations:

Just go to your package's build tree and use:

$ podebconf-report-po --call

This will propose you a generic mail which is to be sent to
debian-i18n at lists.debian.org and call for new translations.

This utility will mention existing translations to avoid duplicate
work. 

It will also attach the needed material to this mail.

Please also think about giving a deadline to translators. We like
deadlines..:-)

3) Always call for translation updates before uploading
-------------------------------------------------------

(of course only when you change the debconf templates!)

If your package already includes debconf translations (ie *.po files
in debian/po), please consider calling for translation updates if you
happen to change something in the templates...or just in case when you
release a new version.

This is done with the following command:

$ podebconf-report-po

This will build private mails to translators (ie people listed in
"Last-Translator" in the PO files) for translations that are
incomplete. These mails will included the needed PO file for each
translator.


-- System Information:
Debian Release: jessie/sid
  APT prefers unstable
  APT policy: (500, 'unstable'), (500, 'testing'), (101, 'experimental')
Architecture: i386 (i686)

Kernel: Linux 3.10-2-686-pae (SMP w/2 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=C (charmap=ANSI_X3.4-1968)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash