Re: Jive -> Kernel (International Linux)
Adam D. Bradley (bradley@cs.unca.edu)
Fri, 17 Jan 1997 23:00:12 -0500 (EST)
On Fri, 17 Jan 1997, Philip Blundell wrote:
> On Thu, 16 Jan 1997, William Sowerbutts wrote:
> > So, forget that. I propose the following solution: The kernel contains all
> > of the messages in English. If the user wants to, they may override some of
> > the messages with their own langauge; if a message isn't overridden the
> > English default is used. Perhaps the memory used up for the English default
> > could be freed in some way?
> >
> > Of course, I've no idea how to code this, I'm not a kernel hacker ;) Maybe
> > an "enhanced_printk" type function? This would allow existing kernel code
> > to function, but new code could supplement the existing code. The
> > enhanced_printk function could be implemented merely as a wrapper around
> > the existing printk?
>
> You could do this with modules. Create a global variable
> printk_language_hook, which defaults to NULL. Then amend printk() to say:
>
> asmlinkage int printk(const char *fmt, ...)
> {
> [...]
> if (printk_language_hook)
> fmt = printk_language_hook(fmt);
> [...]
> }
>
> Thus, you can load modules that define printk_language_hook to be a
> pointer to some function that substitutes the original English text with
> something in the chosen language. You'd have to deal with parameters
> somehow, I suppose...
Ack! Worst problem:
(1) Strings have to be _recognized_ and then substituted. Have to do a
bunch of strstr()'s over a massive string table. Alternately, you could
do a hash on the fmt pointer to speed up the search, but still. And this
invokes this same overhead on _any_ printk message once the language
module is loaded; there's no allowance for "quick+dirty" dumps, eg OOPS
data which we don't have/want to think about translating/formatting.
Adam
--
He feeds on ashes; a deluded mind has led him Adam Bradley, UNCA Senior
astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, Computer Science
"Is there not a lie in my right hand?" Isaiah 44:20
bradley@cs.unca.edu http://www.cs.unca.edu/~bradley <><