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Multilingual Linux software versions hit market

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI JULY 18. Linux For You (LFY), a magazine involved in the promotion of open source software, today announced a multilingual version of Linux.

Available so far in English, Linux educational software solutions now have versions in several major Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Bengali, Gurmukhi and Gujarati. It has been developed at the LFY Labs here.

Called "Linux from India — For You" (LiFY), the educational version of Linux claims to provide cost-effective software solutions to a cross-section of the population.

It has been integrated with applications that are useful for education. These include applications meant for students at school, college and research level. As is the case with all Linux products, the applications are based on open source which means they can be used totally royalty-free. The source code is also available for modification and re-use by programmers. LiFY has been integrated with applications devised by Indian programmers. The operating system does not need any installation and can run directly from CD-ROM.

"The support of all major Indian languages in LiFY will make it a universal choice for all Indians. Till now the basic language for computing was English. Now Indians will be able to use their own languages in computers using LiFY,'' said the LFY editor, Rahul Chopra. Allowing users the freedom to know the source code, modify it and redistribute it, Linux is said to be an ally in the process of democratisation of societies.

Its far bigger rival, Microsoft, has called Linux "a cancer that spreads to anything it touches" and "not a real cost saver in the long run." But the company also admits that Linux scores over Windows in hardware utilisation and lower licensing costs.

India, like many developing countries, is debating over the merits of using open source software compared to propriety software of companies (Microsoft) who closely protect their source code. At the same time, some Government institutions such as the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, the National Centre for Software Technology and the National Informatics Council have teamed up with the IITs to develop Linux for Indian languages.

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