[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Behind what ?

Assalam alaikum

Bismillah Alrahman Alraheem

I am ammer, the most in-active member of arabeyes!!!

About my self: I am a system/network administrator working in Saudi Arabia, in a non-profit organization for calling non-muslims to Islam.
I have too much work and I have only the time to watch the maillist, to be near the group of the great volunteers.
I am not much skilled C++ programmer, but I am using Linux from about five years (SuSE5.2).
Also you can call me a web programmer with good experience in PHP/Perl.

Ok, it is time to tell what is in my mind about this topic.

1- I am not with any thing related to translation in this stage of Linux, because Linux still lacks the key applications/functionality for the Arabian users (I am using Mandrake 9 with kde 3.0.4 and koffice 1.2, and find a lot of difficulties working with Arabic documents).
The only viable arabic editor which support tables is the StarOffice 641d which been hacked by the Israeli IBM branch, and I don't feel comfort using it because of that.
Look it like this, if you want a quality translation, then you need a skilled users for these softwares, but why the users will even work in Linux?
There are two levels of users, a typical arabian user (which will never work in Linux until now because he don't have the skills to manage the difficulties of the every day computer usage in Arabic language and also pays nothing for software licenses from his pocket) and the other one is the advanced one, who also finds a lot of difficulties but has managed his specific needs, and this one will never be able to do that until he is a very good in English language, and then he will never find any need to translate the interface.
Also, If we translated the interface, can we say to others, come on and use the software? I know very well that no one will be satisfied with the current features available in the KOffice (espicially the so bad/strange tables).
Then as summary for this point, we have no good solution untill we go and merge the Israeli patch with OOo 1.0.1 tree, by our hands and then continue supporting the BIDI in this package, which the only viable software we have as an alternative to MS's one.

2- I do now recommend an active efforts only in internationalizing the key packages of Linux to support BIDI, with a good number of font, and after that we will call for translators, and they will never feel bored because they are using the software daily, and after finishing the translation we will call the wide base of arabian come and use the software, and after that we will find a lot of support because companies will find already trained users for the world of linux. first of all We need to call the develpers, the arabian or the muslims develpers, to participate in what obligatory on them to advance the Arabian/Islamic Nation and serve thier religion/nation for the sake of Allah (if they are True muslims), or the sake of thier lovely language/nation (if they are a sincer Arabians).

3- after dealing with the wide ground of users, the companies will go directly to implement Linux in thier environments to get rid of the licensing fees, because they will never deal too much with training, and will find a proved solution for Arabic Language needs.

4- Who said we are behind? believe me that muslims are always in the front of the other nations, because they do work to get Allah Satisfaction of them, and this is the main job they were created for. and actually we are always in the front from the point of view of the right measures, It is the religious point of view.

5- There is other groups which could help in develping in linux, like the research groups (like IBM and http://www.ccse.kfupm.edu.sa/~husni/) and universities, the groups paying licensing for thier personal use (in America), the groups paying licensing in thier private business (like in egypt), and the interesting groups like the islamic organizations and real muslim individuals.

6- We have stronger case than any other languages because the Arabic language is important not only for the Arabian Nation but also the Islamic World

7- The good men from Arabs are always busy, and we need to let them focus of the priorities of things we need to do as an abligatory on us.

8- I think the relation between the Arabic Language and Islam is the winning card, because we can bring a lot of guys to work with us without any problems if we convinced some Islamic individsual to support financially the project for the sake of Allah

Please tell me your oppinions and please talk frankly.


Mohammed Elzubeir wrote:

On Sat, Nov 16, 2002 at 07:10:18PM -0800, anmar oueja wrote:


Hello Nadim:

I agree with you 100%. I my self was talking to Muhammed El Zubir regarding an arabization of man pages project and I found the whole thing to be quite complicated so I have given up. That was a bad decisio n on my part. I think alot of people start the process with great excitement and enthusasim and end up forgetting all about it.



Unfortunately that is true. There are two scenarios that happen:
 1) they get overwhelmed and forget it
 2) they get bored and abandon it



Here is my suggestion. It is an idea that I thought about and will actually persue once my new job settles down in a few weeks: we should first organize what needs to be translated. Once done we should have a way for poeple to translate stuff over the web.



First of all, we already have 'organized' what needs to be translated. There
is nothing more to be done there. Also, providing a web interface for
translation is simply not going to work. The majority of the translators don't
have cheap internet access. You simply cannot expect people to spend an hour
or so translating while on the internet.



They read the english and enter the arabic in a form. Once done, a team will then use the translation and plaec it in the right files.

I think that seperates the complexity and might intereset alot of less technincal people.




There are two issues here. Some may not agree with me, but I will tell you
what I think nevertheless.

 1) If a person does not have enough technical knowledge to run KDE and
 KBabel (translation tool), they don't need to be translating technical
 files. It's very simple. If you don't know the contents then you shouldn't
 be explaining to others.

 2) We have a _lot_ of translators who _know_ how to use those tools and have
 already used them. The problem is, they simply are no longer active. So, it
 is not a problem of simplifying the process, but rather of maintaining a
 continuity of it.



Hope this helps.




All suggestions help of course ;) Thank you for the feedback.