linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH 36/38] vfs: Add a sample program for the new mount API [ver #10]

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Date:   Tue, 31 Jul 2018 14:21:09 -0700
From:   Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
To:     David Howells <dhowells@...hat.com>
Cc:     Pavel Machek <pavel@....cz>, Matthew Wilcox <willy@...radead.org>,
        "Theodore Ts'o" <tytso@....edu>, Al Viro <viro@...iv.linux.org.uk>,
        linux-fsdevel <linux-fsdevel@...r.kernel.org>,
        Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH 36/38] vfs: Add a sample program for the new mount API
 [ver #10]

On Tue, Jul 31, 2018 at 2:00 PM David Howells <dhowells@...hat.com> wrote:
>
> IIRC, Windows DLL translation tables get around this by having format-string
> tables with numbered parameter substitution markers.

That's what gettext() does too.

It's one of the reasons I *really* don't want to have this be an issue
at all in the kernel. It's just too painful and nasty for words.
People get it wrong all the time.

And even when you do it, you have issues with plural endings (which
also have markers so that you *can* get it right, and nobody ever
does) etc etc.

Really. No translation. No design for translation. It's a nasty nasty
rat-hole, and it's a pain for everybody.

There's another reason I _fundamentally_ don't want translations for
any kernel interfaces. If I get an error report, I want to be able to
just 'git grep" it. Translations make that basically impossible.

So the fact is, I want simple English interfaces. And people who have
issues with that should just not use them. End of story. Use the
existing error numbers if you want internationalization, and live with
the fact that you only get the very limited error number.

It's really that simple.

                   Linus