Internationalization of the Globus Toolkit is an important factor in securing adoption of the Globus Toolkit by the world-wide Grid Community. It is also a difficult objective. The Toolkit code base is very large and diverse, comprising multiple software language technologies and service models
Globalization of software is generally performed in two discrete steps, internationalization and localization. Internationalization is the process of designing software so that it can be adapted (localized) to various languages and regions easily, cost-effectively, and without engineering changes to the software. For example, internationalized software is typically designed for Unicode (double byte) support (e.g. via standard Java constructs, and the open source International Components for Unicode (ICU) library for C/C++), and the ability to maintain single source and single executable across locales. The localization step consists of building language packs for each locale in which the software will ship.
The Globus Consortium sponsored a survey of Globus Alliance organizations, Consortium members, and industry best practices regarding globalization, in order to define the requirements and appropriate approaches for Globus software globalization. Based on this surveythe two documents detailed below were produced.
In addition, a complete review of the Globus Toolkit and all libraries upon which the Globus Toolkit depends was sponsored by the Globus Consortium. This work was completed in order to: identify modifications required to make all Globus components conform to the Globus Internationalization Coding Guidelines; estimate the level of effort associated with making these modifications; and understand the ramifications of not making these modifications. The findings of this review were captured in a third document, the Globus Toolkit Globalization Scoping document, which will be shared with the Globus Alliance and eventually the organization(s) executing on this work.
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This document provides guidelines for internationalization (I18N) of the Globus Toolkit and supporting code. I18N involves Unicode support, externalizing resources for localization, and employing functions that support localized display of dates, currency, and other locale specific operation. The goal is to produce a single executable that can be run worldwide using resources that can be localized without having to recompile the code. Additionally, I18N should facilitate localization, reducing the cost of localizing software.
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This document outlines the workflow and responsibilities for localizing a release of the Globus Toolkit. The intended audience for this document are Globus Developers, Globus community members, or anyone else who may wish to localize the Globus Toolkit for a particular locale. Globalization of the Globus Toolkit will produce US English resource bundles, and the Globalization effort will include production of localized resources for a second Locale to ensure the Globalized Toolkit functions properly for a non English Locale. The Implementation Localization packages for additional Locales may be done either by the Globus Alliance or by others. It is assumed that community members with interests in specific Locales may be willing to implement language packs for those Locales and contribute them to the Globus Toolkit.
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