Re: KhmerOS 1.0 - Khmer OpenSource Project

[Danilo Segan <danilo gnome org>]

Javier SOLA <fjsola@aui.es> написа:
> I am considering Mozilla because it includes web navigation, e-mail,
> chat and web editing in one single package. Maybe there is a better
> solution. I need to include web editing, chat and Instant
> messaging. Any ideas?

Well, I don't know about web editing, especially about WYSIWY(MHY)G[*]
tools. Other than that, chat is usually better done through either of
XChat or GnomeChat (IRC clients), and there are plethora of instant
messaging cleints (Gossip for Jabber, GnomeICU for ICQ, Gaim supports
a number of protocols, including Jabber, ICQ, AIM, MSN, Yahoo, and
others, but it's not in Gnome CVS, so you would have to make separate
arrangements; it does use Gtk+ 2 and Pango).

[*] What You See Is What You (May Hope You) Get

> The Mozilla suite includes about 9.000 messages, Galeon is about 1.360.

XChat would add another 1100 messages, and instant messangers
probably another 1000. Yet, all of these would probably integrate
much better into Gnome environment than the Mozilla XUL based
components (I think ChatZilla is one of those).

So, you would sum up to 3500 messages without web editing program
(if there's one, it probably doesn't go over 2000 messages, because
entire IDE like Anjuta doesn't go that far).

> I am also considering translating Evolution, so the e-mail capability
> may not be so important (except if the platform is used on Windows,
> which -I understand- would exclude Evolution).

I definitelly think you should translate separate applications,
instead of translating one giant app -- if that's the choice you're
making.

I don't have translation for Mozilla to Serbian at all -- I don't
even miss it ;-)

> I  have looked around for an accounting package for small-medium size
> enterprises, but none appear in the Software map (only home
> accounting). Does anybody know one?

Even though GNU Cash (http://gnucash.org/) claims to "manage personal 
finances", perhaps you can look into that?

News in latest version seem to include some "templates for
businesses".

The problem with it is that it still uses the ancient Gtk+ 1.2
version, which doesn't make use of Pango, what would probably make it
impossible to translate it to Khmer (there are some plans to separate
GUI from functionallity, so you might probably look if it's going to
get there soon, and if it would be usable for Khmer at that point).

> Most users will never know what OpenSource is and.... in Cambodia the
> concept of Free Software cannot be understood, as non-free software
> does not exist. Everything costs one to two dollars here, except Linux
> releases that may cost up to 10 dollars, but only because they include
> several CDs...

That part (about CD shops) sounds like Serbia a couple of years back
:-) [it's not much different now, but they removed those cheap CD
shops, because MS opened the office, signed 'strategic' agreement with
government, blah, blah]. But still, there's the freedom even in that
case that should be respected. We might even look at a simple case of
translation. In order to translate Free Software into Khmer, they may
hire a couple of workers, and simply do it themselves (that's what
you're doing, right? I think that's impossible with proprietary
software).

So, you're not locked down with one supplier (that guy in a CD shop
wouldn't be able to help you translate Windows you've got for free,
or cheaply).

> Again, now there is a copyright law, as in many other countries in the
> are, such as Vietnam or Thailand (a prerequisite for entry in the
> World Trade Organisation). I suppose that with time Microsoft and BSA
> will try to start cracking on local CD shops, and this is also a good
> argument for Free Software... because it will continue to be
> free... as it always was.

This is the confusion of English word "free". "Free Software" stands
for "freedom", and it seems like you're talking about "for
free" (nothing to pay). Simply, you cannot modify that Microsoft
software as you see fit, even if you got it cheaply or for free: you
don't have that freedom [because that requires source code, which
you're not provided with]. In this particular case, you cannot simply
go ahead and translate Windows, if Microsoft doesn't give you support
and resources to do so.

And it's quite important to tell people that they're in control of
their own (software) fate only if they choose Free Software.

Cheers,
Danilo