Kilinux#Jambo OpenOffice
{{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{{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}} for 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, 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 language spoken by about 100 million people in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Mozambique and other areas in or near the African Great Lakes region. Most users are using Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office, but since that is not available in Swahili,{{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/}} they have to use English or French.{{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}} Kilinux tried to reduce the threshold by localizing Open Office.{{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}} In June 2004 Microsoft announced a Swahili version of Windows.{{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}}{{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}}
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|width=300px}}
The Kilinux project began in 2003 with the development of a glossary and a spell checker for OpenOffice.org.
The Kilinux Project received an award in May 2006 as the best ICT project in the category education of the 2006 Stockholm challenge.{{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 }}{{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}}{{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}}
Swahili IT Glossary
In October 2004 Kilinux released a Swahili IT Glossary{{Cite web|authorlink=IT46|url=http://www.it46.se/entry/127|accessdate=14 September 2016|title=Swahili IT Glossary|last=IT46|date=2004}} under the Creative Commons ShareAlike license containing over 1500 "computer related terms in English and their Swahili equivalents",{{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 }} because the Swahili language did not contain any computer terminology.
Jambo OpenOffice
{{main|Jambo OpenOffice}}
The first major release by the project — Jambo OpenOffice (Hello OpenOffice) — was a localised version of OpenOffice.org, an 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.{{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 }}