On 5/14/05, Nadim Shaikli <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > --- Maja van der Velden <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Maybe this is a good opportunity to mention Skolelinux (school linux) a > > project that started in Norway but that is slowly moving around the > > world. It won the Linux New Media Award for Best Newcomer Linux > > Distribution 2004. Someone has started working a bit on the Arabisation > > (click on the green crescent in the top right corner) but I don't know > > in what stage it is. Here is the link: > > > > http://www.skolelinux.org/portal/ > > Thanks Maja. We were made aware of this project approx a year ago and > Abdulaziz (per the thread noted [1]) was supposed to look into the project > to see how we it can be "Arabized". Seems like that effort has fallen > through the cracks. > > Abdulaziz, any of this ring a bell ? Thoughts ? [...]
Yeah it rings a bell. This project might be worthwhile any effort we put into it. I think we all agree education sectors are our main audience we do Arabization work. The project contains many educational apps, but they're not specific to Skolelinux. Examples are Gcompris and Ktouch. I think Gcompris is already in our GNOME translation repo. Translation will be the easiest part of all when it comes to Skolelinux. The hard part is cultural localization. Skolelinux is targeting mostly young schoolchildren. If we don't want it to be at the recieving end of uberzealous censorship in Arabic countries, there are certain cultural elements which need to be removed/replaced. We don't have the resources (and not by a long shot) to hack each and every program that will need cultural modification. It would be nice if Skolelinux became a culturally modular distribution. Insert the cultural module of your choice, and the programs and apps will behave accordingly. (Someone once mentioned the example of the Christmas tree in a card matching game. This module plan would make it possible to install Skolelinux with a different module from the default, and then said Christmas tree would be replaced by something else). We on Arabeyes can certainly develop said module, or even several modules if we want to be even more culturally specific and want to make something that pertains to each and every country or region and whatever is considered acceptable over there. This method is going to take a lot of work and time, and I don't expect it will implemented any time soon, but I strongly urge Skolelinux's developers to incorporate it into their long term plans. Salam, Abdulaziz,
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