free(1) translated output columns misaligned/translation bug

[Matthias Andree]

The free output is misaligned in German locale, but OK in POSIX/C locale.

Since this does not properly render in text here, please see the attached screenshot.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: procps 1:3.3.9-1ubuntu2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-37.64-generic 3.13.11.7
Uname: Linux 3.13.0-37-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.5
Architecture: amd64
Date: Sun Oct 12 21:27:02 2014
SourcePackage: procps
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to trusty on 2014-08-29 (44 days ago)
modified.conffile..etc.sysctl.conf: [modified]
modified.conffile..etc.sysctl.d.10.network.security.conf: [modified]
modified.conffile..etc.sysctl.d.10.ptrace.conf: [modified]
mtime.conffile..etc.sysctl.conf: 2013-04-10T05:50:02.401636
mtime.conffile..etc.sysctl.d.10.network.security.conf: 2011-06-20T15:08:33.518598
mtime.conffile..etc.sysctl.d.10.ptrace.conf: 2011-11-27T13:47:30.815492

[Hans Joachim Desserud (hjd)]

Thanks for taking your time to report this issue and help making Ubuntu better.

Marking confirmed based on your screenshot.

The header string seem to lack additional spaces between the different words, see https://translations.launchpad.net/ubuntu/utopic/+source/procps/+pots/procps-ng/de/19/+translate

I assume the other strings causing problems can also be found in the German translation. https://translations.launchpad.net/ubuntu/utopic/+source/procps/+pots/procps-ng/de Someone from the german translation team will need to review them, but anyone can add translation suggestions.

[Gunnar Hjalmarsson (gunnarhj)]

It's probably easiest to fix this by editing the .po file directly, and not through the Launchpad interface.

<rant>Why are we at all translating these kind of packages?</rant>

[Phillip Sz (phillip-sz)]

we translate this because, some people don't understand english at all. I also don't see why this is a translations problem. Developers should fix this.

[Martin Pitt (pitti)]

In the meantime we could just add some extra space to the translation?

[Phillip Sz (phillip-sz)]

sure, would be good if you can do this, as I don't have a PC currently. Thanks.

[Gunnar Hjalmarsson (gunnarhj)]

Reason for my remark: I think that the number of users, who are tech-savvy enough to open a terminal window and run the free command but don't understand English at all, is very low.

[Matthias Andree (matthias-andree)]

My workaround obviously is to run it under LC_ALL=C regime and move on,
because I'm savvy enough. But I cannot possibly take responsibility for
every project that I encounter that is in need of love (maintainer,
translator, whatever).

[Gunnar Hjalmarsson (gunnarhj)]

The German translation team is one of the teams which have achieved the best translation coverage in Ubuntu. Possibly the reaction had been otherwise from a team of one of the small countries, where prioritizing is a must.

Anyway, my remark was obviously off topic on a bug report like this, so let's not keep arguing here.

[Phillip Sz (phillip-sz)]

So I have added some space to german translation.

But it still does not look so nice and I don’t think that it is possible to fix this fully only with editing the translation.

It would be also possible to just not translate it, as we don't must. Maybe that's better?

[Florian Diesch (diesch)]

Problem still/again exists in 17.10

[schuko24 (gerd-saenger)]

I looked at the translation comment.

"Translation Hint: You can use 9 character words in
* the header, and the words need to be right align to
* beginning of a number."

The column titles may have 9 characters, so I added spaces to the words to have exactly that nine characters plus the space between the words. I marked the translation as a suggestion, so please, dear reviewers, have a look at it.

[Pete (petehelm)]

The problem exists still (and now for a few years), is there any hope it'll be fixed in the future?