Externalized #251 localization blues

Quickfolders is a pretty smart extension for Thunderbird. You can find on its dedicated AMO page everything you need to know about its features and usage. If you browse the comments, you will see many satisfied users. Some of them are not completely convinced, but the developer manages to answer every time with great care.

[caption id="attachment_505" align="aligncenter" width="499" caption="help tips"][/caption]

Also, if you give a quick test to the extension, you will see there are many options available and the Help dialog is verbose enough to provide useful tips and howtos. Excellent work.

The only thing is…
this interesting extension is available in English only

- Don’t worry, old Goofy, we shall translate it just now, I hear you saying, translators friends from BabelZilla.

- mmmh no. Because there is no locale support in this extension
That is : every string is hardcoded in a .xul or a .js file, there is NO locale subfolder, everything in the content

So once again I added what had to be added (with the help of the great Externalize extension by my friend Davide Ficano ), and once again I sent a message with my modified version to the developer, with my usual invitation message to BabelZilla, since it is much easier to translate now, with all the strings in the locale/en-US subfolder.

The problem now is: I am reaching externalize strings process #251 in less than 3 years.

It means that extensions are (still) released without a decent locale support.

I don’t blame developers who may ignore the localization process.
I don’t blame AMO volunteer reviewers who do an tremendous work and use several quality/security tests.

I am just wondering:

WHY is it not compulsory to have a minimum (en-US or another locale) locale support in an extension to be allowed to release it on AMO?

Please, AMO Commander in Chief, add “Have a locale support” to the list of requirements!