1123709 - [son] Search engine setup for Firefox Mobile for Songhay.

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(Mozilla Localizations :: son / Songhay, defect)

Description

[Jeff Beatty [:gueroJeff]]

We want to ship Firefox Mobile with a good list of search engines for Songhay. 

We're going to work towards this in three phases. First, the localization team and the l10n drivers will look at the market for the language and come up with a good set of search providers. Mohomodou, we'll need your input on this, the guidelines for making recommendations are on <https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Productization_guide>. 

For en-US, we currently use this set, to which we can fall back in the case of lacking localized alternatives:

> Google (mobile version), Yahoo, Bing, Amazon, Twitter, Wikipedia (slightly different to desktop, 32x32 icon)

We may also want to go with just a subset of the en-US engines, if that's more appropriate for the local market.

Once we decide to use a particular search engine (and we test it on a mobile device), l10n drivers will contact the owner and ask for permission, and for specifics like proper search flags. Mohomodou, we'll likely need your help to at least get the contact information.

For search engines that we already ship with on desktop and that you would like to include in mobile as well, the permission is not needed.  Consider using a mobile version of the engine if one is available.  Also, please make yourself familiar with instructions regarding the <Description/> element at <https://wiki.mozilla.org/L10n:Integrated_Search_Instructions>. For mobile, we'll want 64x64 size images, too.

Once we have a specification on what the search engines for Songhay should look like, flod (Francesco Lodolo) and the localization team will work on an implementation on that. flod will create and attach patches for the desired changes and get them reviewed. After a successful review, flod will land them. Mohomodou, if you're interested, you could create the patches, too. You'd ask flod for review on those before landing. 

Please don't commit any modifications in browser/searchplugins to the hg repository without a patch reviewed by flod, Stas, Axel or someone else appointed by the l10n drivers. The data here is sensitive to users and our search partners, thus the extra care here.

The Songhay team and flod will be driving this bug to completion.

Comment 1

[Mohomodou Houssouba]

Thank you for putting this on track. Exciting phase: I'm still collecting feedback from colleagues. As for search engines, these four will be useful to Songhay users too: Google, Yahoo, Amazon, Wikipedia. 

Precision: there are no Songhay localizations as such, for Google, Yahoo and Amazon.

But generally, French versions will work fine as default for many Songhay users.

The Wikipedia interface is localized but not yet released. So it is important since we have an ambitious Wikipedia project (for content going online in a near future).

These are first quick answers. We will keep an eye on the bug and your queries and requests.

Comment 2

[Francesco Lodolo [:flod]]

On desktop you're currently shipping:
amazon-france
bing
cnrtl-tlfi-fr
eBay-france
google
wikipedia-fr
yahoo-france

And I've just realized that I never reviewed those, so I'm going to file a follow-up bug to update the searchplugins on Desktop.

For Mobile a good starting list would probably be:
amazon-france
bing
google
wikipedia-fr
yahoo-france

I don't think we should include the localized version on Wikipedia if it's not ready yet, we can fix that as soon as it's available. English also ships Twitter on mobile. Thoughts?

Comment 3

[Mohomodou Houssouba]

"Anyway, I think, since Firefox itself defaults to En_US, I'll have no reservation that search engines for the songhay version default to the same set as for En_US." _Abdoul
--
My colleague was testing the search engines in French and English. Accordingly, you can keep the default as is - en_US. The other part of his observation is that many users, especially of the second generation in the Songhay "diaspora," live in regions where they use English on a daily basis. Patterns on Facebook and other social media. In any case, both English and French should work fine.

Comment 4

[Mohomodou Houssouba]

Wikipedia can wait, to be sure. Twitter will be very nice, many use it.  

But I thought the number of applications that can be shipped is limited to 4 per locale. Maybe a misunderstanding on my part.

Comment 5

[Francesco Lodolo [:flod]]

My understanding is that French is more common than English in the area of Africa were Songhay is traditionally spoken. If that's the case, it probably makes sense to use French versions of the searchplugins, but that's your call. I also wonder if users familiar with English will tend to use directly the English version.

en-US vs fr practically affects only Amazon and Wikipedia, being the others generalistic search engines.

Comment 6

[Mohomodou Houssouba]

Your understanding is correct. The home area lies clearly where French is the official language. So it makes sense to put the French versions. That was my guess too. As for use, we encourage people to use the Songhay version with the En or Fr version they're used to and use as default. I've just had such a conversation with someone in the US; he downloaded Firefox in Songhay for desktop but confessed it takes some getting used. He's not used to reading anything in his native language. So we have to be pragmatic about this until there is user-base. 

On the other hand, yesterday from Mali someone wrote me in Songhay to say that he put Firefox in Songhay on his laptop and office computer and was happy about it. Of course, he writes in Songhay and is familiar with the written form of the language. Here localization has a pendant in literacy reinforcement.

Comment 7

[Francesco Lodolo [:flod]]

Lost track of this bug, and we should try to drive it to a conclusion.

List of searchplugins so far:
amazon-fr
bing
google
wikipedia-fr
twitter
yahoo-fr

Mohomodou, are you OK with this list?

Comment 8

[Mohomodou Houssouba]

Francesco, the list in all right for me. Many thanks!

Comment 9

[Francesco Lodolo [:flod]]

Attachment: bug1123709.patch

Using Wikipedia and Yahoo from fr/mobile.
Amazon-fr adapter from fr/browser, with 32px icon.
defaultHandlersVersion = 4 since there was already a file around.

Comment 10

[Francesco Lodolo [:flod]]

That was fast, thanks :-)
http://hg.mozilla.org/releases/l10n/mozilla-aurora/son/rev/8c7e276e62d6
http://hg.mozilla.org/l10n-central/son/rev/8c7e276e62d6