Ubuntu Wiki

• Created: Date(2005-10-17T24:20:31Z) by SivanGreen

• Priority: NeedsPriority

• People: NeedsLead, NeedsSecond

• Contributors:
• Interested:

• Status: UbzSpecification, BrainDump (then DraftSpecification then EditedSpecification then ApprovedSpecification), DistroSpecification

• Branch: UbuntuTrack

• Malone bug:
• Packages affected:
• Depends:
• Dependents:

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• BoF sessions: none yet

Summary

This specification describes the way I18N should be achived after a first fresh install of Ubuntu, ideally with as much as less effort on the user's behalf.

Rationale

Making Ubuntu a de facto desktop distribution means we have to make it as easy as we can for a user to get the preferred work environment he desires, in the quickest way possible. I18N is no exception to this, and a system supporting a quick and easy way to have a I18Nized system will make its way to a user's heart quicker, and for long time. For the next release, we should be able to let a user choose a desired language to use, and with a click away, have the system configured for input and output in that language of his choice.

Scope & Use cases

• Liat is a new Ubuntu user. Hey mother tounge is Hebrew. She wants to be able to type and read hebrew using her new Ubuntu installation, she chose "Hebrew" during installation. However, when finally arriving at her desktop, she was unable to type Hebrew. She wished installation process would have taken care of this and leave her with I18N enabled desktop after install, or just choose her language in one click, and have everything else automatically setup for her.
• Mustafa is a part time system administrator for one of the computer labs the university he studies in, has. The students using this computer lab are of varying nationalities and use different languages as mother tounge. They need to be able to commmunicate and use both english, and their native language such as Arabic, Hebrew, Russian, Spanish etc.. Instead of thinking in advance which languages to include the default installation over all the workstations, he'd like to have a way to let each student choose his desired language and use it, relieving him from the hassle and decision.

Design

• ChooseYourLanguageDialog:

  • One pop up window, possibly a derivation or trim sized "language-selector" tool.

  • Asks one question, expects >= 1 responses, which are language the user selected.

• User Input:
  • On first login to a fresh installation.
  • On subsequent invocation of a "choose your language in one question/click" tool.
  • User input should be minimized:
    • Use some sane default for group shift behavior for switching inputs.
    • Allow user to modify afterwards.
• Result:
  • System is ready for input in a selected language(s).

Prerequisites

If integrated with language-selector, we need to teach or create a backend for it that will be able to modify the ~/. of the user who executed it in the first place.

Workflow

This can probably be integrated with language-selector, given the list of languages with "Writing Aids" checked for.

• Sanity:
  • If GNOME Keyboard Indicator is not installed or not added to the panel, ask user to install.
  • Automatically add the indicator to the panel.
• With each LANG chosen:
  • Add to keyboard indicator.
  • Ask/Offer Group shift behavior.

Implementation

Code

Data preservation and migration

• Preserve previous kbd indicator's configuration.

Outstanding issues

Comments

BoF agenda and discussion