[Fsf-friends] FLOSS into the Mayan languages... and a LatAm distro based on Gentoo

[Frederick Noronha (FN)]

Ola, here's some news from Latin America...

Julio Cesar Gonzalez of LUGUSAC <juliocgc@fisica.usac.edu.gt> writes in to say 
that they have got "organized as a Linux Users Group, currently pursuing to be 
a Technological Foundation. The mail list is open and can be reached at: 
http://espanol.groups.yahoo.com/group/lugusac  and our site is at 
http://www.lug-usac.org

Says Julio: "We are the forge of several projects, maybe the most interesting 
'Proyecto Luciernaga', on translating FLOSS into mayan languages, (see it at 
http://luciernaga.berlios.de ) and "Proyecto Mayix", the very first Central 
American distribution based on Gentoo -- http://www.mayix.net "

In the first half of 2005, this team expects to partner the creation of a 
GNU/Linux Users Group in the west highlands (Quetzaltenango, native name 
Xelaju), their site will be at http://xelalug.linuxserver.at/

Says Julio, whose based in Gautemala: "In Central America the major interest on 
FLOSS is here in my country (Guatemala) and in El Salvador. Some LUGs in Belize 
and Honduras." He, together with several friends, formed a GNU/LUG at their 
university three years ago.

Their Mayan language project incidentally is an inter-institutional project, 
also involving groups such as the "Fundacion Rigoberta
Menchu Tum" (Nobel Peace Price, 1992) and "Academia de Lenguas Mayas de 
Guatemala" (national autority for mayan languages)."

According to Julio, they're currently working on the translation of 
OpenOffice.org Writer 1.1 into the Mayan language k'iche'. He adds 
optimistically: "After that, we'll produce the OpenOffice.org suite in all the 
major Mayan languages, a web browser and, eventually, a Live-CD
with a Mayan-languages GNU/Linux distribution."

We wish these big and ambitious plans all the very best. If you could support 
in any way, get in touch with Julio Cesar Gonzalez Cordon 
<juliocgc@fisica.usac.edu.gt> who says: "It's exciting to share, to learn, and 
to build another world with you!".

FN

Related URL: Fisired (http://fisica.usac.edu.gt)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Frederick Noronha (FN)                    Nr Convent Saligao 403511 GoaIndia
Freelance Journalist                      P: 832-2409490 M: 9822122436
http://fn.swiki.net                       http://fn-floss.notlong.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://goabooks.swiki.net * Reviews of books on Goa... and more