Math-Phys-Tech Section Shevchenko Scientific Society

seminars-conferences members projects in the news math-phys-tech

03/17/2003

To: www.linux.org.ua

At a recent meeting, the NTSh Executive Committee in principle has endorsed the proposal to support the development of Ukrainian public domain software.

In particular, the Committee has approved to support the following projects:

· Develop a user friendly Ukrainian Graphical User Interface (GUI) for Linux.

· Develop a Ukrainian word processor.

· Prepare a brief manual for Linux as well as the word processor.

· Help distribute Ukrainian Linux, word processor and manuals as a package.

The GUI in Ukrainian for Linux could be similar to for example, RedHat (www.redhat.com) whose source code is free and is available for modification under GNU General Public License.

Word processing is very important and Ukrainian Linux without a Ukrainian word processor would be of little value to the general public. It appears that you have already done some work with OpenOffice http://www.linux.org.ua/cgi-bin/twiki/view/Projects/OpenOfficeUk but it’s in the embryonic stage. If you have the programmer resources to submit a proposal to The Native-Lang project which is dedicated to providing information and support for OpenOffice.org community members in their native language, then we would gladly provide support for such a project.

As another example, you may wish to consider working with AbiWord: http://www.abisource.com created by a worldwide group of volunteers that supports Ukrainian (with dictionary available for spellchecking) and available on Linux (Intel), Linux (PowerPC), Unix(Generic), as well as all the Windows operating systems.

The above are only examples as to what we have in mind, but the final decisions are yours.

The manual for Linux and word processor would be written for the general pubic and should be bundled with the software package. We would also finance the printing of such a manual as well.

The distribution of the software package would be done with downloads as well as mailings of CDs and printed manuals. We would help with the downloads by establishing mirror sites at various universities in the US and Ukraine.

We would also support mailings of CDs to universities and schools, subject to budgetary constraints.

In order to initiate the proposals we would need the following information:

• Your answer whether there is interest on your part to embark on this project.
• Is the scope of the project within your means or is it too large ?
• An approximate time frame of the completion of the project.
• Approximate dates of milestones and deliverables.
• A budget
• Software costs
• Remuneration
• Other
• Distribution costs
• CDs Reproduction
• Printing of manuals
• Mailings
• Other

We’re aware that it’s very difficult to give a budget when entering new and untried ventures but we do need some kind of estimate to go on.

Of course there are other worthy projects that merit NTSh’s support but the Committee decided that the above projects are more in alignment with the NTSh’s current objectives, namely to propagate the Ukrainian language in Ukraine, to encourage commercial vendors to embark on similar projects.

We are eager to receive your response and hope for a fruitful cooperation in the future.

Sincerely,

Volodymyr Vasilaky

Chair of Computer Committee, NTSh-A

03/17/2003

 cc Roman Andrushkiw, First Vice President NTSh-A