[Pkg-samba-maint] Bug#496197: libsmbclient: package description overhaul

Justin B Rye jbr at edlug.org.uk
Sat Aug 23 12:54:34 UTC 2008


Package: libsmbclient
Version: 2:3.2.1-1
Severity: minor

This is part of a set of related bugreports on the packages in the
Samba suite; I've already reported many of these issues (with some
suggested fixes) as a single bugreport on samba4 (see #486370), but
since that approach is a dud I'm trying the alternative of splitting
them up and targetting individual packages.

Current package description:         
# Description: shared library that allows applications to talk to SMB/CIFS servers
#  libsmbclient allows to write applications that use the SMB/CIFS protocol.
#  This gives applications the ability to talk to Microsoft Windows servers
#  and Unix servers running Samba.
#  .
#  This package contains the libsmbclient shared library.

Problems shared with other packages in the set:
* "allows to write" is a very characteristic non-native-speakerism
	(though the "allows applications to talk" is fine!)
* the words "applications" and "servers" are repeated awkwardly.
* developer-centric documentation: users don't install libsmbclient
	to "write applications", they install it to run	applications
	(or just because kde depends on it).
* Samba is all about OS interoperability, so keep the OS names
	straight.  It's not just for "Unix servers", it's also for
	GNU/Linux!
* and the wishlist item: WIBNI all the packages in the suite had
	consistently styled short descriptions.  Likewise, in this
	case, consistent what-Samba-is boilerplate.

Suggested replacement text:
| Description: Samba client libraries
|  The Samba software suite implements the SMB/CIFS protocol, providing
|  cross-platform support for Windows-style network shares.
|  .
|  This package provides a library for client applications that talk to
|  Microsoft Windows (or Samba) servers.

-- 
JBR - please CC me (or the debian-l10n-english list) in replies





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