[gnome-cy] Linux and Welsh Windows

[Kevin Donnelly <kevin dotmon com>]

(I'm posting this to the new cy list, since that's where non-GNOME stuff 
should go now, but I'm also copying it to the gnome-cy list, just in case 
there are some on it who haven't signed up to the cy list yet - if you are 
also interested in non-GNOME translation stuff, sign up now ...)

The press release I sent out yesterday has been taken up by the Western Mail 
and the Daily Post (although I haven't seen the latter yet).  The WM has 
about half a page given over to it, although the headline ("Microsoft logging 
on to Welsh") is a bit misleading, since the reporter has in fact put in a 
lot of good stuff about Linux.  There are a few errors, but he's done a 
pretty amazing job, considering I only spoke to him for about half an hour, 
and this was probably the first time he'd heard much about Linux.  I 
especially like the caption to the photo: "Microsoft is catching up with its 
smaller rival, the Linux operating system used by Welsh-speakers such as the 
Donnelly family".  This "catch-up" point also comes up in a couple of other 
places, eg when he makes the points about Nynorsk and Catalan.

I tried in the interview to emphasise the community nature of Linux, and he 
has put a good bit of that in (though he has missed out Owain's name, which I 
gave as an example, and I hope my memory served me right when I said you were 
in Reading, Owain :-), but he was also very focussed on the "human interest" 
side, hence the photo and the info about Steffan.  There was also what seems 
to be a standard request for a few examples of Welsh computerese.  There is 
one surprisingly limp quote from MS, and a small box with the WLB 
announcement.  Interestingly, the box says that MS and the WLB have been 
planning the Welsh version since September 2003.  That would be after the OOo 
demo at the Eisteddfod, and the Golwg article .....  hmmm.

This is a much better article than the Golwg one, but it makes me wonder if we 
shouldn't be trying to push the "human interest" angle a bit more if we want 
to get column inches.  For instance, people outside Wales but still with a 
commitment to helping the language (Owain, Dafydd, others?).  Or David Chan, 
in Birmingham and with a name suggesting ancestry from farther away than 
Pwllheli, helping to create Welsh software.  Or a school class using Scribus 
for their class project.  Or one of the Cardiff schools finding some benefit 
to using Linux on their servers.  There must by now be a few good angles we 
can try.

I know most people here are probably more interested in the "how", but there's 
no point in a great how if there's no "when" (ie people using the how).  So 
we need a few good "whats", and we need to make a serious push on this over 
the next 6 months, before the Windows thing appears.  If anyone is interested 
in this "public relations/marketing" aspect, PLEASE let's try and get 
something going on a formal basis.

-- 

Best wishes

Kevin Donnelly

www.kyfieithu.co.uk - Meddalwedd Rhydd yn Gymraeg

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