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Linux Localization And E-governance

Posted by Hemos on from the using-it-in-the-best-way-possible dept.

BhondaiPola writes "The Telegraph has an interesting article about the works of a Bengali Linux localization group. The article speaks of the potential areas in which localization can be implemented, especially, E-governance. Most of the stuff is known to us, but the article should serve as a nice introductory article for anyone new to the issue. And I liked the screenshots of the localized GNOME in the website of the group."

4 of 102 comments (clear)

  1. Gnome i18n is great by leoboiko · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Internationalization was the major reason that made me switch to Gnome.

    Thanks to im-ja I can switch freely between European (Brazilian Portuguese) and Japanese input in any GTK app, something I could do only in Emacs. Gnome-terminal can work with any encoding and switch them at runtime.

    --
    Prescriptive grammar:linguistics :: alchemy:chemistry. Stop being a nazi and learn some science.
  2. pic of computer by manganese4 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I find it interesting that they paired a picture of a 20 year old computer (running Calc 123?) with a story on purported cutting edge use of computers. Most likely an accident but it does highlight linux's ability to perform well just about anywhere.

    --
    I make my face look like this and concerned words come out.
    1. Re:pic of computer by Minna+Kirai · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Nope - you just can't buy 333MHz packages anymore.

      Blatantly nonfactual.

      Theory was that the prices of computers would fall.

      I don't recall anyone credible espousing such a theory. It's a rather ignorant idea... (Unless you're looking at it from a large enough scale where prices genuinely have fallen, which is the case over a 4+ year measurement)

      It's true that marketing pressure causes people to replace computers unnessecarily. But the idea that "if not for greedy marketers, we'd all be buying new PIII 400mhz computers for $40" is completely unfounded.

      It doesn't really cost all that much less, today, to built a 300mhz CPU than a 3000mhz one. Major R&D improvements were needed so that 3000mhz would even be possible... but now that the money's been spent, there'd be little financial incentive to continue building the slow ones. If some insane vendor wanted to build new 100mhz Pentium computers (from new parts, not leftovers) it would cost nearly as much as a new bargain-basement 1.4Ghz system. There's no meaningful savings from using the weaker stuff.

      Look at the automobile market. A 1993 car is $1000, a 1997 is $5000, and a 2003 is $15000. The old stuff is cheaper... but there is no way a manufacturer could build a new car to 1993 standards for any less than a 2003 model.

  3. Great Hardware! by tonyr60 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The picture in the Telegraph article looks suspiciously like an IBM PC XT. Are they a typical workstation in India? If so, I see some problems...