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Linux Localization And E-governance
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."
"Localized Gnome" would be a really good name for a band.
...
Wait a minute... no it wouldn't.
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
Cool, early (first?) post. This raises an interesting question. If a lot of foreign countries start using Linux in their government like this article suggests, will the US follow suit? Answering my own question...probably not. After all, isn't this a pretty accurate idea?
I think we should put together a list of localized gnomes. If you know of other gnome localization effort, please reply to this posting with the URL to the project. I will then compile a list. Thanks.
Consensus is good, but informed dictatorship is better
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.
Here's the article's text:
Bengali crosses desktop lingo barrier
ALOKANANDA GHOSH
Thinking global, going local
Calcutta, Dec. 7: You can now use the computer to chat, e-mail, browse the internet, access an archive of public domain works by Bengali writers and read the almanac (ponjika) in Bengali.
In the first successful project of localisation of Indian languages, Ankur, an initiative of a group of academicians, students, professionals, linguists and techies -- all volunteers and without any financial backing -- from India and Bangladesh, will bring Bengali to the desktop, based on Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS).
A downloadable version of it that can present a basic-level desktop designed to perform functions equivalent to Microsoft Windows, will be posted on the Net tomorrow. The localisation efforts by Ankur will help millions of Bengali-speaking population access computing benefits through low-cost means.
Localisation is the process by which software and computing systems are adapted to a particular language and the specific cultural habits of a region. However, before the process of localisation can begin, the software has to be internationalised to support multiple languages and local customs.
"The local language framework makes it easier to take e-governance initiatives to the grassroot levels," Ankur member Sankarshan Mukhopadhyay said. "Government machinery and protocols can be best utilised through the local language and nuances, which can reach the largest number of people. The Ankur Bangla project covers all aspects of localisation. It aims to provide a 'Bengali computing experience', while creating a standard framework and infrastructure which makes computing scalable and economically deployable," he said.
Defined broadly, e-governance is the use of IT, communications and telecommunications to promote an efficient and effective government, facilitate access to government services, allow greater public access to information and empower people by making the government more accountable to citizens. The project may involve delivering services over the internet, telephone, community centres, wireless devices or other communication systems at reduced cost and increased productivity.
Ankur has been in talks with the Bengal government for the past six months. The group, however, did not get any projects from the state government.
"We have been approached by CBSE officials to use the project framework for digitisation of the syllabus to Bengali, using which they will tap the Bangladesh market," Indranil Dasgupta, founder of the Linux User Group in Calcutta, said. "Jadavpur University and the Forum of Scientists, Engineers and Technicians (Foset) are also in the process of adopting the Ankur framework for localised low-cost computers."
This, despite the fact that the government's much-flaunted government-to-citizen effort - Banglar Mukh (the face of Bengal) - has fallen flat on its face.
Free/Libre Open Source Software has a nice ring to it.
It is an acronym that cuts right down to the gumline.
It is the official language of the Indian State, West Bengal and has produced some great indian poets including Tagore who won a nobel prize for his poems Geetanjali".
for the last time people, I am "frodo from middle eaRTH", not "middle eaST".
What a coincedence, I gave a lecture on FOSS to some CS students this morning, and talked a bit about FOSS in developing countries. One person asked if software is really an issue where there are still large numbers of people living below the poverty line and where access to clean water and a fairly paid job is generally a more important issue than whether or not someone can hack around on a PC.
But this shows why it is important, if not as important as trade and development issues. Countries like India in particular have nascent computer industries, and growing numbers of users. The more we can do to combat the digital divide and welcome all people in this world onto the Internet and into the logic age, the better. FOSS is key to doing this IMO, and will ensure that as this happens, information technology is controlled by those that use it not those that provide the means to use it.
All I know is, I hope this 'E-Governance' is not using Diebold machinery or based in Florida. S'all I'm saying.
MoFscker
Bengali/Bangla is the language of Bangladesh.
See the CIA Word Fact Book for some information about Bangladesh.
Did you know that Bangladesh is the 8th largest nation on the world (note: "World" is the first in this ranking) ?
Bengali is spoken by some Indians as well, India being the second largest nation on the world.
Did it because they can. That is the great thing about open source software. The bottom line is that are in more control of your computing experience (if you access to the skills necessary ) I hope the are able to get their government to take hold of this project and run with it.
Get Movie Posters
Yes, I know that you can get Windows in the major languagues but I wonder where does MS draw the line. For example, is there a Bengali version of Windows. I am guessing there is but the bigger picture is that Linux with its openness would allow anybody to localize the OS to their languauge. If somebody wanted to, you could make a Klingon or Elvish version of Linux. Why you would want to do that beyond the coolness factor is beyond me but the point is that you are pretty much a slave to MS in terms of localization.
You speak Xhosa or Bantu or some very minor language in a Third World country, do you think MS will cater to you. Most likely not. Linux can and will cater to you with a little bit of work. One more way to push Linux as a serious alternative to MS in developing countries.
No trees were harmed in the composition of this; however, numerous electrons were inconvenienced.
I wouldn't call a software economy that's worth roughly $30/billion year, with $10 billion being outsourcing, to be merely "nascent." Unless, of course, you consider that in 2008, the Indian IT Ministry plans to have $50 billion in outsourcing (meaning: your students' jobs, and possibly yours as well) and $90 billion overall.
Indian Economy Report
Indian IT Plans
I'm surprised such Indian localizations weren't done sooner. Perhaps one day, we'll have to navigate them -- at its current growth rate, India will dominate the world in software roughly by the time this year's new CS students graduate.
- As the article says, In the first successful project of localisation of Indian languages, Ankur, an initiative of a group of academicians, students, professionals, linguists and techies - all volunteers and without any financial backing
- and the fact that the government's much-flaunted government-to-citizen effort - Banglar Mukh (the face of Bengal) - has fallen flat on its face
- When the product emerged from the grassroots, it rose and stood up, and when it it was imposed from the tree-top it fell flat on its face.
My question is whether this means that we are doomed to wait for something successful to emerge on its own, rather than being able to drive its creation in well-articulated plans ? For example, I have been wanting to create a community site for a National Olympic Committee (NOC, with about 60 sub organizations who will be the ones contributing material), and also one for a national political party to organize a Poll Information Management System, (PIMS)- but I am finding that it is not enough to push a few people with money to select and customize software like slash, scoop, Drupal, Geeklog, PHPNuke or PostNuke, to satisfy the local needs for the NOC or PIMS, and definitely not enough to attact an active community
- and that maybe the successful programs for the NOC and PIMS have to emerge from not a few people pushed to achieve them but a larger group of people who come together, driven not by money but a bigger sense of purpose
....
In other words, when it really matters, I find that the profit motive arguemnt of McBride and SCO is not only cynical, it is increasingly not borne out by reality.To see a world in a grain of sand, and then to step back and see the beach where the sand lies
Has an article on this. Good article exposing the availability of different applications in local languages. It seems that one of the benefits of open source software is it's ability to be modified in this manner. Open Office in Gujarati, anyone?
The article is online for premium users only. For some reason the Economist wants you to pay for content. I got it in the old-media form; good old paper.
IMHO, as per.
J:)
Oh well, no point in steering now.
So they've made a product that sucks dollar bills from your wallet, DRMs all your tunes and core dumps twice a day?
When I am king, you will be first against the wall.
Projects like this are really important. There is no Bengali support in Windows and so we are looking at this to provide Bengali in our environment.
Kinda like Zulu and Xhosa in South Africa - its not financially viable for Microsoft to write those locales in Windows.
Just another sign of the goodness in software freedom.
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...