[Pkg-crosswire-devel] ICU use and debian/tmp/usr/lib/sword/1.5.11_icu_3.8.1/translit_*.res files

[Jonathan Marsden]

Matthew Talbert wrote:

> This library adds, besides the transliteration, character ordering
> according to specific locales. This is important for creating search
> indexes, creating dictionaries, etc.

Hmm, isn't character ordering per locale done in Linux/Unix/POSIX by
setlocale(3) and then using the strcoll(3) function?  I'm probably just
being naive or out of date... I've not done any serious C programming
for some years.

> However, currently the linux frontends implement their own methods for
> ordering via their respective platforms, so it would not add any
> functionality to the frontends to include icu at this point.

Compiling with icu was done specifically because it was on Peter von
Kaehne's list of things (posted to ubuntu-motu) that we needed to do on
Debian/Ubuntu to become fully functional, and looked simple to
implement... and now you're saying more or less the opposite :)  His
email that kick-started this team packaging effort said in part:

> As we see it, following is wrong:
> ... 
> 2) libsword should be compiled with ICU to allow it full function. It is
> not.

Maybe Sword module developers need ICU, but front-end developers don't
like it??  I'm cc'ing Peter on this message, so he can respond and we
can try to get a clearer idea of whether using ICU is really something
appropriate.

It would be more helpful to us if there were a somewhat consistent
picture from upstream of what the Debian/Ubuntu packages should really do :)

Thanks,

Jonathan