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php-developer-list | 2002112

Re: [PHP-DEV] [PATCH] Redirect on Error From: Andi Gutmans (andi <email protected>)
Date: 11/26/02

At 03:21 PM 11/25/2002 -0500, Sterling Hughes wrote:
> > If this thread was about error messages of a C compiler, I
> > would agree that users can be expected to understand English.
> > That is a completely different level you are dealing with then.
> > However, PHP needs to take beginners into account.
> >
> > Simply assuming that everyone must understand English
> > is arrogant.
> >
>
>Whereas assuming that PHP users are too stupid to understand english is
>not at all arrogant? :)
>
>
> > PHP is used by people around the world; it is used by many as
> > first computer language who just started out to conquer a new
> > area of knowledge. They do not necessarily speak English
> > adequatly or are able to make sense of technical English
> > terms.
> >
>
>fine - provide documentation / translations for what these error codes
>mean in the documentation (on a per-translation basis, or in an extra
>page listing all the translation). php_error_docref() already does
>this I believe (cookie variable, or just click on the link).
>
> > This issue came up years ago with a certain operating system.
> > If localized error messages are provided, they must be
> > presented together with a unique message id. That unique
> > token enables people who speak a different language to
> > interprete the error code/message and provide support/answers
> > as necessary.
>
>Great, I'll look up IE55343 everytime i get a question about an undefined
>variable.
>
>What you're missing is that currently to program PHP, you need a reasonable
>understanding of english. To my knowledge mandarin does not have the
>string length, most everything in the programming world is in english,
>therefore, a basic understanding of english becomes a prerequisite.
>
>Educate users to speak the base amount of english required, I18N'ing the
>language is just going to lead to headaches from a user perspective
>(incorrect translations, slower performance, translations for english
>speakers)
>and a developer perspective (having to lookup tokens, understanding another
>language, getting bug reports with horrible error messages).
>
>The whole i18n thing can be solved by just listing the translations of
>the error codes on the doc page, let's do that, instead of bloating the
>PHP infrastructure.

I'm 100% with Sterling on this one.

Andi 

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