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List:       kde-i18n-doc
Subject:    [RFC] Documentation Freeze Policy
From:       Burkhard =?iso-8859-1?q?L=FCck?= <lueck () hube-lueck ! de>
Date:       2010-01-11 17:40:56
Message-ID: 201001111840.56275.lueck () hube-lueck ! de
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Hello translators,

techbase.kde.org/Schedules says about doc freeze (usually around 9 weeks 
before tagging a major release like 4.x.0):

1) "Documentation/Handbook Freeze 
No more substantive changes to documentation or handbooks after this date. 
Typos, spelling and simple grammar changes are permitted."

The second sentence should be changed to something like:
"Exception: Typo, spelling fixes and simple grammar changes are permitted until 
RC1 but you have to mail kde-i18n-doc saying you made such a change."

Then it is similar to the current Message Freeze policy.

Additionally I'd like to discuss extensions to this documentation freeze 
policy and propose to add these rules:

2) Backport to branch (only by the kde-i18n-doc team):

2a) Backports of documentation changes from trunk are allowed in the first week 
after tagging a major/minor release.

2b) Backports from trunk are allowed at any time for applications without 
documentation or with a dummy documentation.

An example for an app without doc is e.g. the attica control modul new in 
4.4.0 or kaddressbook, e.g. karbon has only a useless dummy doc ("The 
documentation for &karbon14; was not finished when &kde; was installed on this 
computer...").

Rule 2a) is not really new, it only describes what we did in 3.5.x, 4.0.x, 
4.1.x, 4.2.x and 4.3.x already around 15 times with up to ~1000 strings for 
each backport.
Afaik all these backports worked well, none complained here.

And Rule 2b) is a benefit for everybody:
- if a team can translate the new doc, users will have a doc in their language
- if a team can't translate it, users get at least a documentation in english
In any case we will ship a better release for our users.

The backports have to be controlled by the kde-i18n-doc team, simply because I 
had to revert too many doc freeze breaking commits from people not 
understanding/respecting the freeze policy in the last years.

But this new policy - if accepted - should be communicated to the whole 
community; escpecially to our devel, usually excusing a missing documention 
update with <quote>I was too busy to make the code ready for 4.x.0; and 
therefore missed the deadline for doc updates; and sadly now I can't update 
for branch anymore...</quote>.

Objections/Comments/Improvements please.

-- 
Burkhard Lück
KDE Documentation Team 
kde-doc-english@kde.org

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