[RFE] Automatically update the Ubuntu version strings in python-apt

Any news about this?

I didn't have time to look into the source code, but the problem is that instead of having something like "Cdrom with %s", there is a new translatable string with hardcoded version added every time a python-apt is released for a new Ubuntu version. You could probably make the "Ubuntu xx.yy 'Code Name'" string not translatable (I don't think anyone actually translates this) and use it as a part of the "Cdrom with ..." string.

Similar issue was just fixed in ubuntu-release-upgrader (https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-release-upgrader/+bug/1727472). It would be great if the issue could be fixed in python-apt as well.

I see that the version strings are hardcoded in data/templates/Ubuntu.info.in, for example for Ubuntu 19.10:

_Description: Ubuntu 19.10 'Eoan Ermine'

_Description: Cdrom with Ubuntu 19.10 'Eoan Ermine'

Not sure if my suggested solution from #2 could be applied on the .in file, but it would be great if this issue could be finally fixed. It is really annoying for translators to update these strings manually every time a new Ubuntu release is out.

Possible solution would be changing the "Cdrom with" part to something that can be used in most languages without a translation.

Any chance this could be improved? It is really frustrating that we have to manually translate this string every time before a new Ubuntu release.

I guess we could have two variables CODENAME and ??? and then you can say

Ubuntu %(CODENAME)s '%(???)s'

or like

Ubuntu %(CODENAME)s <<%(???)s>>

e.g. for the french:

#. Description
#: ../data/templates/Ubuntu.info.in:158
msgid "Cdrom with Ubuntu 12.04 'Precise Pangolin'"
msgstr "CD contenant Ubuntu 12.04 « Precise Pangolin »"

The example from #7 looks good to me! :-)

Julian, feel free to let me know if you need any help, for example with testing etc. It would be great if this could be fixed before Ubuntu 20.04 (or at least 20.10) is released. :-) Thanks!

https://salsa.debian.org/apt-team/python-apt/-/merge_requests/52

Released upstream as python-apt 2.1.15

Not syncing this, want to get the existing upload migrated first. Which is Stuck on apt-clone regression.

In proposed now

This bug was fixed in the package python-apt - 2.1.7

---------------
python-apt (2.1.7) unstable; urgency=medium

  * SECURITY UPDATE: various memory and file descriptor leaks (LP: #1899193)
    - python/arfile.cc, python/generic.h, python/tag.cc, python/tarfile.cc:
      fix file descriptor and memory leaks
    - python/apt_instmodule.cc, python/apt_instmodule.h, python/arfile.h:
      Avoid reference cycle with control,data members in apt_inst.DebFile
      objects
    - tests/test_cve_2020_27351.py: Test cases for DebFile (others not easily
      testable)
  * Regression fixes for the updates merged too:
    - arfile.cc: Fix segmentation fault when opening fd, track lifetime correctly
      (Closes: #977000)
    - arfile: Regression: Collect file<->deb/ar reference cycles

 -- Julian Andres Klode <email address hidden> Thu, 10 Dec 2020 15:35:32 +0100