Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Kilinux
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
{{Short description|Linux distribution}} {{Update|date=June 2023|talk=Is this project or article relevant any longer?|reason=unclear if project exists any longer, or whether it was successful in the first place}} '''Kilinux''' ('''klnX'''), the '''Open Swahili Localization Project''', is a project by the [[Swedish International Development Agency]] (SIDA), the [[University of Dar es Salaam]] (UDSM), and [[IT+46]]<ref name="pressrelease">{{Cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225090659/http://www.o.ne.tz/pressrelease_en.php|archivedate=25 February 2009|title=Because it could be done, we play our part! Swahili Free and Open Source Software.|url=http://www.o.ne.tz/pressrelease_en.php|accessdate=30 December 2011|date=4 December 2004}}</ref> for [[Language localisation|localizing]] major applications to the [[Swahili language]]. It is based in [[Tanzania]] and run on [[Linux]], and aims to create an [[operating system]] in [[Swahili language|Swahili]], which is spoken by an estimated 100 million people. The project was started as a joint effort between the [[University of Dar es Salaam]] and Swedish company IT +46. == Background == Swahili is a [[Bantu languages|Bantu]] language spoken by about 100 million people in [[Kenya]], [[Tanzania]], [[Uganda]], [[Malawi]], [[Mozambique]] and other areas in or near the [[African Great Lakes]] region.<ref name="BBC" /> Most users are using [[Microsoft Windows]] and [[Microsoft Office]], but since that is not available in Swahili,<ref name="ZDNET">{{cite news|title=OpenOffice.org goes Swahili|first=Ingrid|last=Marson|work=[[ZDNet]]|date=6 December 2004|accessdate=30 December 2011|url=http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/application-development/2004/12/06/openofficeorg-goes-swahili-39179058/}}</ref> they have to use English or French.<ref name="BBC">{{Cite web|accessdate=1 January 2012|publisher=[[BBC]]|title=L'Afrique dit "Jambo" aux logiciels libres|language=French|date=15 December 2004|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/french/highlights/story/2004/12/041215_openofficejambo.shtml}}</ref> Kilinux tried to reduce the threshold by localizing Open Office.<ref name="pambazuka">{{Cite journal|issn=1753-6839|journal=[[Pambazuka News]]|url=http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/internet/27220|title=East Africa: Kilinux OSS Innovation Propels ICT localization in Ki-Swahili|first=Aloyce|last=Menda|date=17 March 2005|issue=198|accessdate=6 January 2011}}</ref> In June 2004 Microsoft announced a Swahili version of Windows.<ref name="BBC eng">{{Cite web|publisher=BBC|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4078753.stm|accessdate=1 January 2012|date=9 December 2004|title='Jambo' to open source software}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611211054/http://www.itworld.com/Tech/2418/050201africa/|archivedate=11 June 2008|accessdate=2 January 2012|title=Microsoft bets on Africa's IT future|url=http://www.itworld.com/Tech/2418/050201africa/|date=2 January 2005|publisher=[[IDG News Service]]}}</ref> == History == {{Quote box|quote=How can ICT develop Tanzania by adopting it in English in secondary education when only less than 12 per cent of the relevant age group enter into secondary schools?|source=A participant in the workshop ''The future of ICT in Secondary Schools - Strategizing for Implementation'' in January 2005<ref name="pambazuka" />|width=300px}} The Kilinux project began in 2003 with the development of a glossary and a [[spell checker]] for OpenOffice.org.<ref name="pambazuka" /> The Kilinux Project received an award in May 2006 as the best [[Information and communication technologies|ICT]] project in the category [[Information and communication technologies in education|education]] of the 2006 [[Stockholm challenge]].<ref name="award">{{Cite web|url=http://www.stockholmchallenge.org/project/data/kilinux |accessdate=2 January 2011 |title=Kilinux |publisher=[[Stockholm Challenge]] |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425030956/http://www.stockholmchallenge.org/project/data/kilinux |archivedate=25 April 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kilinux.udsm.ac.tz/kiblog/archives/permalinks/2006-05-15T15_50_46.html|publisher=Kilinux|accessdate=2 January 2011|title=Winners Stockholm Challenge 2006|first=Ulrick|last=Mkenda|date=15 May 2006|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120804044522/http://www.kilinux.udsm.ac.tz/kiblog/archives/permalinks/2006-05-15T15_50_46.html|archivedate=4 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925125152/http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?src=rss&id=1005|accessdate=2 January 2012|archivedate=25 September 2006|title=African localisation wins at Stockholm|url=http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?src=rss&id=1005|first=Richard|last=Frank|date=24 May 2006|publisher=tectonic.co.za}}</ref> == Swahili IT Glossary == In October 2004 Kilinux released a ''Swahili IT Glossary''<ref>{{Cite web|authorlink=IT46|url=http://www.it46.se/entry/127|accessdate=14 September 2016|title=Swahili IT Glossary|last=IT46|date=2004}}</ref> under the [[Creative Commons]] ShareAlike license containing over 1500 "computer related terms in English and their Swahili equivalents",<ref name="pressrelease" /><ref>{{Cite web|authorlink=Ethan Zuckerman |url=http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/002262.html |accessdate=2 January 2012 |title=Jambo OpenOffice |first=Ethan |last=Zuckerman |date=3 March 2005 |publisher=[[Worldchanging]] |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525164847/http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/002262.html |archivedate=25 May 2011 }}</ref> because the Swahili language did not contain any computer terminology.<ref name="ZDNET" /> == Jambo OpenOffice == {{main|Jambo OpenOffice}} The first major release by the project β Jambo OpenOffice (''Hello OpenOffice''<ref name="BBC"/>) β was a localised version of [[OpenOffice.org]], an [[Open-source software|open source]] office suite, and was aimed primarily at schools and colleges. == Jambo Firefox == On 15 June 2006 the project announced they had localised the [[web browser]] [[Mozilla Firefox]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kilinux.udsm.ac.tz/kiblog/archives/permalinks/2006-06-15T16_23_10.html |title=The Kiswahili Linux Localization Project: Jambo Mozilla Firefox Ready for Download |accessdate=2006-08-14 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312093257/http://www.kilinux.udsm.ac.tz/kiblog/archives/permalinks/2006-06-15T16_23_10.html |archivedate=2007-03-12 }}</ref> == References == {{reflist}} {{Linux-distro}} [[Category:Language-specific Linux distributions]] [[Category:Swahili language]] [[Category:Linux distributions]]
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)
Pages transcluded onto the current version of this page
(
help
)
:
Template:Cite journal
(
edit
)
Template:Cite news
(
edit
)
Template:Cite web
(
edit
)
Template:Linux-distro
(
edit
)
Template:Main
(
edit
)
Template:Quote box
(
edit
)
Template:Reflist
(
edit
)
Template:Short description
(
edit
)
Template:Update
(
edit
)