A NetBSD system installer with Lua scripting, i18n

[Marc Balmer <marc@...>]

NetBSD- and Lua-Users

I am working on NetBSD system installer extentions for sysinst that allows sysinst to be scripted in Lua.  The basic idea is that an installation script can be shipped with the install media (or put on a netinstall server) that drives the installation process (or parts thereof).  If no such script is present, the standard way of the installation procedure will run.  A sample script I wrote, e.g. can install and configure pkgsrc packages during the install procedure.

It has been particularly "difficult" to deal with sysinst's i18n system, for example message strings would need a space at the end if the message is continued on the next line.

An earlier version of my sysinst changes used i18n written in C, but I think it could better be done entirely in Lua.  I am solicitating comments and ideas on this.

Attached are three files (not very elaborate code, just meant as proof of concept): i18n.lua, a "library" that translates messages, and i18n.de, i18n.fr two sample message catalogs for german and french.

So far it can translate messages and change the order of parameters.  Is that enough? 

- Marc Balmer

Attachment: i18n.fr
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Attachment: i18n.de
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Attachment: i18n.lua
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