@jbicha: Just noticed this. It reverses b1830b58, but for another reason. Sigh.

@gunnarhj Can you file an Ubuntu bug for the new issue for Ubuntu 23.04? You can link to the old bug in the bug description but it might be cleaner to have a new bug. And then we can revert but this time we should leave a comment in debian/control.in to explain why appstream isn't in Build-Depends.

If you don't want stuff to be translated, just put translate="no" markers in the XML, instead of disabling checks. Could be a really simple patch to the GNOME Software metainfo file, as you would only need to add that attribute to the releases tag and I think it should just apply to all tags below that ;-) (if it doesn't, we may need to adjust the ITS rules).

The appstream build dependency is only for an upstream test to validate the included AppStream metadata file.

Gunnar was thinking that Ubuntu's workaround could be done in override_dh_translations. If it's done there, each Debian upload would still verify the AppStream metadata and it would be ok for Ubuntu to skip reverifying the metadata.

Or we could skip the test on Debian and Ubuntu, but it looks like we would need to patch data/metainfo/meson.build (since it currently fails the build if we try to build tests but without appstream installed).

Having a permanent solution in Ubuntu's tools sounds pretty great actually, instead of patching every package (and having the exact same problem everywhere again as soon as a new release of Gettext is out that syncs the ITS files from AppStream).

Could be a really simple patch to the GNOME Software metainfo file, as you would only need to add that attribute to the releases tag and I think it should just apply to all tags below that ;-)

Nope. That's what I first tried when working with this merge request upstream, but it proved to be necessary to mark each <description/> tag.

Having a permanent solution in Ubuntu's tools sounds pretty great actually, instead of patching every package (and having the exact same problem everywhere again as soon as a new release of Gettext is out that syncs the ITS files from AppStream).

Right. I think I'll try that route at first hand.

You already know what I really would like to see: A changed AppStream metainfo file which let's maintainers opt in for for translation of releases info instead of the other way around.

But secondly it would make sense for Ubuntu to use the same metainfo file as Damned Lies does. They used to sync their file with AppStream, but stopped doing so when you added translation of the <releases/> info and made it default. :/ Needless to say I agree with them on this topic — see this issue.

This is my idea:

https://code.launchpad.net/~gunnarhj/+git/pkgbinarymangler/+merge/440954

Please feel free to comment and/or review.

I have the task of disallowing translations from release information that appstreamcli generates from other data on my todo list. But for the other stuff: AppStream doesn't do the translating, itstool, gettext and others do, and I can't change ITS behavior or those tools...

Hey @mak, we simply have different opinions on this detail in metainfo.its. I don't hold you responsible for the whole workflow with respect to translations, but as a translation coordinator I do take that workflow into account.

Now let's see what others think about the pkgbinarymangler MP. I think it would eliminate the current dissonance between GNOME and Ubuntu in this respect.

Have a nice weekend!
Gunnar