The Language Advantage
January 19th, 2008
In terms of languages and writing systems supported out of the box, Linux has the advantage over Windows. Linux distributions support writing systems for most modern national languages and various minority languages except Mongolian. However, this is being worked on by the Soyombo Linux project. Windows, for its part still lack support for Ethiopic, Gurmukhi, Oriya, Tibetan, Mongolian, Burmese and Lao.
The localization and globalization aspects of a computer’s operating system should be taken into consideration by system developers. Being responsive to the individual intricacies of each and every language holds the key to continuous widening of user support. With language barriers down, users can concentrate on integrating the system with their own requirements.