GNU/Linux Matters blog

Today we are extremely happy to release HonaLinux.org, Pereidinalinux.org, DungLinux.org, and OtrymayLinux.org, which are written in Arabic, Russian, Vietnamese and Ukrainian respectively. These four new translations of our flagship website GetGNULinux.org are a great reason to rejoice, for many reasons.

The first reason is obviously that we grow in our capacity to reach out to everyday users and provide them with prime-quality web material about GNU/Linux and freedomware.
More specifically, we are able to enter a part of the web where information about the free software world is relatively scarce. We hope to be all the more effective in fostering Linux usage in these languages.

Another great reason to rejoice is that this release marks the completion of our translation system. From the first words down to the last localized URL, these four websites have been translated, built, checked, and published with a web browser only. The ease and maturity of the process —even right-to-left languages are displayed faultessly, as honalinux.org testifies— makes us proud.

The translations are a trimmed edition of GetGNULinux.org, containing less pages and thus allowing an earlier release while the full edition is being translated. This method allows us to grow at a much faster pace and we shall be making use of it again soon. A few people deserve great credit for this release:

• Most of the credit for DungLinux.org goes to Clytie Siddall, from the Vietnamese Free Software Translation Team. Clytie, a familiar figure among internationalized free software project communities, simply stunned us with the efficiency and speed at which she worked through the translation. Many thanks also go to Minh Ngoc Le for his patient help and participation.
• The bulk of both OtrymayLinux.org and PereidinaLinux.org was built by V’yacheslav Stetskevych — who didn’t give up despite the fact that we (still) cannot differentiate written Russian from Ukraininan.
• Hassan Ibraheem took most of HonaLinux.org upon him, while we learned to write websites to suit his beautiful language (written and read from right to left!). A friendly wave also goes to Farid Fakhreddia for his encouragement and advice.

A press release (also translated in Russian, Vietnamese, Castilian (Spanish), and French) has been issued on this opportunity.

Mennecy, France (Sept 4, 2008) – The GNU/Linux Matters non-profit organization is extremely happy to release HonaLinux.org, PereidiNaLinux.org, DungLinux.org, and OtrymayLinux.org, four websites intended to become the homepage of the Linux operating system in Arabic, Russian, Vietnamese and Ukrainian.

By focusing on everyday users rather than software experts, the organization wishes to affect freedomware adoption at a wide scale. The websites feature concise, introductory information about the free operating system, favoring legibility over exhaustiveness.

The release of the four websites, which are translations of the English GetGNULinux.org, fits within the organization’s vision for a multilingual web advocacy movement. “We now have a mature, easy to use web translation system which will allow the rapid release of further translations”, said Gustavo Narea, General Secretary of the organization.

GNU/Linux Matters warmly invites community members of all languages to translate, improve, and link to its websites. “We are slowly making our way towards our objective of having one million Windows users go through our websites over one year”, expressed Olivier Cleynen, president of the non-profit. “With the coming of Animador, our web freedomware advocacy platform, participating should be even more enjoyable and exciting”, added Gustavo Narea.

The organization’s first step into the non-Western Internet was made possible thanks to the efforts of a few motivated participants from around the planet. With a small but growing community, and several additional projects about to be released, GNU/Linux Matters enthusiastically works its way to becoming the first web forefront for FLOSS communities.

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About GNU/Linux Matters:

A forefront actor of Internet marketing for software freedom, GNU/Linux Matters is a non-profit organization registered in France. Consisting of a small team of passionate members, it provides free software communities with high-quality, multi-lingual websites aimed at everyday computer users. Its main project, GetGNULinux.org (http://www.getgnulinux.org/), is focused on the Linux operating system.
Read more at http://www.gnulinuxmatters.org/

Contact:

Paris: Olivier Cleynen,     +33 (0)6 28 410 948     (French, English, German)
Madrid: Gustavo Narea,     +34 (0)6 29 247 034     (Spanish, English)
http://www.gnulinuxmatters.org/contact

GNU/Linux Matters is looking for Python developers for the development of the upcoming multicultural SpreadFirefox.com-like platform to promote freedomware.

The develoment of Animador has begun and we are looking for Python developers who would like to do their bit in their spare time, in order for this web application to be ready sooner as wel as to make it better.

This software is intended to power the multicultural community of people who are going to promote freedom in computing by means of GNU/Linux Matters’ awareness websites, such as Get GNU/Linux. Its main objective is to get everyone involved in the promotion of freedomware, specially those users of freedomware who are not technical and/or don’t have much time to help; we want to provide guidance on how to do their bit, their way.

So, if you are a Python programmer, please take part in this milestone within the freedomware community and consider contributing. We provide an array of tools to make your job as pleasant as possible, and are also willing to deploy more if it is required.

Learn more about Animador and how to get started!