Comments on: Ubuntu and the Power of Language http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/ Channel News, Reseller News and Channel Partner Programs Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:59:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: WFTL Bytes! for Oct 15, 2008 -- an election, a talk show, broken records, OpenOffice.org, encrypted stuff, and more. | WFTL Bytes! http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/comment-page-1/#comment-116194 WFTL Bytes! for Oct 15, 2008 -- an election, a talk show, broken records, OpenOffice.org, encrypted stuff, and more. | WFTL Bytes! Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:29:04 +0000 http://www.workswithu.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/#comment-116194 [...] 150 Languages for Ubuntu : http://www.workswithu.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/ UK Appeals Court says "Hand over encryption keys" : [...] [...] 150 Languages for Ubuntu : http://www.workswithu.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/ UK Appeals Court says “Hand over encryption keys” : [...]

]]> By: tracyanne http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/comment-page-1/#comment-116193 tracyanne Fri, 17 Oct 2008 01:52:53 +0000 http://www.workswithu.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/#comment-116193 the operative is 'available', that's why which distribution does it best changes over time. the operative is ‘available’, that’s why which distribution does it best changes over time.

]]> By: Lance http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/comment-page-1/#comment-116192 Lance Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:09:29 +0000 http://www.workswithu.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/#comment-116192 I tried Fedora Chinese input and wasn't happy with it. It was nowhere near as polished as Ubuntu. The fonts also stunk. I am an experienced Linux user who doesn't want to worry about such things. I tried Fedora Chinese input and wasn’t happy with it. It was nowhere near as polished as Ubuntu. The fonts also stunk. I am an experienced Linux user who doesn’t want to worry about such things.

]]> By: tracyanne http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/comment-page-1/#comment-116191 tracyanne Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:31:26 +0000 http://www.workswithu.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/#comment-116191 quote::But this site is about Ubuntu, after al That's fine and dandy, and I don't have a problem with people talking about their favourite Linux Distribution, everyone does. It's when that Distribution is talked about, and material published about it, as if it is somehow the Only Linux and the other Linux Distributions don't exist, that's when I get just a little tetchy. Additionally the Work the Ubuntu translators do is made available to the the upstream translaters, as it should be, as the Ubuntu translaters are bound by the GPL to do so. So there is in fact No translation development in Ubuntu that is not available in any other Linux Distribution. Everything important in Ubuntu comes from the same sources as everything important in every other Linux Distribution, and because of the GPL, everything the Ubuntu devs add or change is available to every other Linux Distribution, as is everything the devs of every other distribution add or change. quote::But this site is about Ubuntu, after al

That’s fine and dandy, and I don’t have a problem with people talking about their favourite Linux Distribution, everyone does.

It’s when that Distribution is talked about, and material published about it, as if it is somehow the Only Linux and the other Linux Distributions don’t exist, that’s when I get just a little tetchy.

Additionally the Work the Ubuntu translators do is made available to the the upstream translaters, as it should be, as the Ubuntu translaters are bound by the GPL to do so. So there is in fact No translation development in Ubuntu that is not available in any other Linux Distribution.

Everything important in Ubuntu comes from the same sources as everything important in every other Linux Distribution, and because of the GPL, everything the Ubuntu devs add or change is available to every other Linux Distribution, as is everything the devs of every other distribution add or change.

]]> By: Cillian de Róiste http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/comment-page-1/#comment-116190 Cillian de Róiste Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:07:29 +0000 http://www.workswithu.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/#comment-116190 One thing Ubuntu does which is unique among distros is requiring that all translations added through their translation system are licensed under the BSD license, regardless of the license of the upstream project. Naturally, this means that Microsoft, Apple and anyone else will also be able to use anything translated through Launchpad. One thing Ubuntu does which is unique among distros is requiring that all translations added through their translation system are licensed under the BSD license, regardless of the license of the upstream project. Naturally, this means that Microsoft, Apple and anyone else will also be able to use anything translated through Launchpad.

]]> By: Marshal http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/comment-page-1/#comment-116189 Marshal Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:48:16 +0000 http://www.workswithu.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/#comment-116189 Overall I would say Ubuntu language support is ok... it's something that is just really important has to be done right. I used windows until about a year ago... and I was shocked at the number of application not supporting unicode... I am not going to go in a long debate but just to quote a wikipedia page about a comparison of image viewer in windows http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_image_viewers "A large majority of Windows based image viewers do not have Unicode support. Some exceptions that do work with Unicode include ExifPro, FastPictureViewer, Imatch and Ashampoo Photo Commander." (!!) I do believe most Linux apps don't have a problem with unicode. (I know unison don't support unicode which for a File Synchronizer is just ridiculous IMO but that's another story) Oh and I want to talk about text input or more precisely CJK input. I use japanese input on my computer and really it's not that great on Ubuntu. Sure it's work and it's easy to install. Only it's a shame you have to install extra package to be able to input in KDE apps... it's still better that some time ago were you had to do some hacks to get it working but still. Overall SCIM has quiet a few bug and is just not as good as the windows input system IMO ... the windows one has high quality character recognition, explanation about word that have the same reading but different character. The only problem about the windows one is how it handle keyboard layout (you have to hack the registry if you have a non Japanese keyboard and want to use it's layout when typing in Japanese ! at least in XP) The worst bug I have seen (in 7.10 and maybe still current not sure) concerning Japanese input in Ubuntu is one that occur on a standard install with Japanese as main language... If I remember right you can only input Japanese one's in nautilus and then it's broken until you close the application. So basically renaming file and so on was just plain broken... Overall I would say Ubuntu language support is ok… it’s something that is just really important has to be done right.

I used windows until about a year ago… and I was shocked at the number of application not supporting unicode…
I am not going to go in a long debate but just to quote a wikipedia page about a comparison of image viewer in windows

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_image_viewers

“A large majority of Windows based image viewers do not have Unicode support. Some exceptions that do work with Unicode include ExifPro, FastPictureViewer, Imatch and Ashampoo Photo Commander.” (!!)

I do believe most Linux apps don’t have a problem with unicode.
(I know unison don’t support unicode which for a File Synchronizer is just ridiculous IMO but that’s another story)

Oh and I want to talk about text input or more precisely CJK input. I use japanese input on my computer and really it’s not that great on Ubuntu.
Sure it’s work and it’s easy to install. Only it’s a shame you have to install extra package to be able to input in KDE apps… it’s still better that some time ago were you had to do some hacks to get it working but still.

Overall SCIM has quiet a few bug and is just not as good as the windows input system IMO … the windows one has high quality character recognition, explanation about word that have the same reading but different character. The only problem about the windows one is how it handle keyboard layout (you have to hack the registry if you have a non Japanese keyboard and want to use it’s layout when typing in Japanese ! at least in XP)

The worst bug I have seen (in 7.10 and maybe still current not sure) concerning Japanese input in Ubuntu is one that occur on a standard install with Japanese as main language… If I remember right you can only input Japanese one’s in nautilus and then it’s broken until you close the application.
So basically renaming file and so on was just plain broken…

]]> By: Drummer http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/comment-page-1/#comment-116188 Drummer Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:13:33 +0000 http://www.workswithu.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/#comment-116188 Back in the OLD days of Mac OS-9 and earlier, one could RESEDIT the resource files to change the text in nearly all programs. It provided an easy way to convert languages in just about any program. One did not need to know programming or have a complier/assembler/linker skills. For fun, one could even make changes to "standard" dialogs, such as changing "Quit" to "I give up"... or even more colorful phrases. While there are many who don't long for the old Mac days, it's little things like this that made us appreciate some of the pre- OS-X capabilities. Back in the OLD days of Mac OS-9 and earlier, one could RESEDIT the resource files to change the text in nearly all programs. It provided an easy way to convert languages in just about any program. One did not need to know programming or have a complier/assembler/linker skills. For fun, one could even make changes to “standard” dialogs, such as changing “Quit” to “I give up”… or even more colorful phrases. While there are many who don’t long for the old Mac days, it’s little things like this that made us appreciate some of the pre- OS-X capabilities.

]]> By: Chris http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/comment-page-1/#comment-116187 Chris Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:32:32 +0000 http://www.workswithu.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/#comment-116187 Devnet and tracyanne: I didn't mean to disparage other distributions, and understand that a lot of the translation work (like 99% of everything else in Ubuntu and most other distributions) comes thanks to the hard work of upstream developers (although Ubuntu does have its own translation teams; it doesn't rely solely on everything being done upstream). But this site is about Ubuntu, after all :) Devnet and tracyanne: I didn’t mean to disparage other distributions, and understand that a lot of the translation work (like 99% of everything else in Ubuntu and most other distributions) comes thanks to the hard work of upstream developers (although Ubuntu does have its own translation teams; it doesn’t rely solely on everything being done upstream). But this site is about Ubuntu, after all :)

]]> By: User http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/comment-page-1/#comment-116186 User Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:12:16 +0000 http://www.workswithu.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/#comment-116186 @Josh > All of the translations for Windows are complete. Ok but this is so, because many commercial programms have their own translation. If you buy a Windows software that is only availible in English, the traslation situation on your desktop is also incomplete. @Josh
> All of the translations for Windows are complete.
Ok but this is so, because many commercial programms have their own translation. If you buy a Windows software that is only availible in English, the traslation situation on your desktop is also incomplete.

]]> By: RichEd http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/comment-page-1/#comment-116185 RichEd Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:33:29 +0000 http://www.workswithu.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/#comment-116185 Dummy00001 Well how about contributing some of your own time & effort to improve the translations ? Volunteers put them together ... not people who hold stock options and keys to shiny cars. Dummy00001

Well how about contributing some of your own time & effort to improve the translations ?

Volunteers put them together … not people who hold stock options and keys to shiny cars.

]]> By: Joe Panettieri http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/comment-page-1/#comment-116184 Joe Panettieri Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:32:07 +0000 http://www.workswithu.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/#comment-116184 Devnet: Per your thoughts and Tracyanne's comment, Works With U wants to go on the record with a tip of the hat to Gnome. Devnet: Per your thoughts and Tracyanne’s comment, Works With U wants to go on the record with a tip of the hat to Gnome.

]]> By: devnet http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/comment-page-1/#comment-116183 devnet Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:28:49 +0000 http://www.workswithu.com/2008/10/13/ubuntu-and-the-power-of-language/#comment-116183 Gonna have to point you to Tracyanne's comment...100% correct. Whatever language support is out there is FOR ALL LINUX...in fact, Ubuntu gets its translation from the Gnome project. So if anything is to thank for this, it's Gnome. Gonna have to point you to Tracyanne’s comment…100% correct. Whatever language support is out there is FOR ALL LINUX…in fact, Ubuntu gets its translation from the Gnome project. So if anything is to thank for this, it’s Gnome.

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