Re: Do not require ABOUT-NLS in source directory

[Bruno Haible]

Hi Gavin,

Gavin Smith wrote:
> The "gettextize" program from gettext installs a file ABOUT-NLS,
> ...
> Users are unlikely ever to look at this file

I disagree. It is in the top-level directory, precisely so that users
easily see it.

> and it is pointless clutter
> in a directory listing.  If the purpose of this file is to advertise
> the gettext project and/or the Translation Project, or to give these
> projects due credit, this would be better achieved in other ways.

The purpose is not to "advertise" or "give credits". The purpose is to
let users know about their freedom to choose the user interface language
of programs, and how to do that.

> The
> web link is no use to someone accessing the file without Internet access.

Hardly anyone is without internet access, nowadays.

> It is one more file to consider when looking at the files installed by
> "gettextize", making the job of a maintainer more difficult.  However,
> "gettextize" will not be able to stop installing ABOUT-NLS while it is
> an automake requirement.

There is no intention to make 'gettextize' stop installing this file.

> Hence, please consider this patch to automake to remove ABOUT-NLS as
> a requirement.

I disagree with the patch. I could agree if you remove it when Automake
option 'gnu' is in use (since the GNU Coding Standards don't require
this file). But please keep it mandatory in 'gnits' mode, which is a
kind of super-picky distribution mode.

Bruno