Re: Internationalizing Linux

mal@bewoner.dma.be
8 Dec 1998 06:49:33 -0000

Horst von Brand writes:
> I had to live with IBM codes for some time, and hated it every time I saw
> one: No way to remember what it was all about, only way out was to grab the
> (rather large) codes manual. And that was normally on loan to somebody else
> trying to debug a random program. Just to find out it was way off target,
> or a ridiculous informative message much of the time. People are _much_
> better at remembering a phrase in an alien tongue than 5-letter codes.
>

I've lived with them for some time too and I didn't mind. In VM/CMS
you could type HELP SYS1840-21 and get an elaborate description of the
error message with often suggestions for solutions etc.

Not that I think it's a good idea for the linux kernel since putting
such a thing together and maintaining it is a huge task with very
limited use. Translating info files, FAQs and HOWTOs would be a far
better place to invest time in.

Lieven

-
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@vger.rutgers.edu
Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/