RED HAT WEARS DESI TOPI

Its Linux 5 DOS allows you to work in 11 Indian languages

The Queen’s language has been the lingua franca of the computing world. From writing word documents to surfing the Internet, non-English users have to make do with a limited set of options and websites. Not any more. Red Hat has announced that its new enterprise, Linux 5 Desktop Operating System, will cater to users in 11 Indian languages: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu.

Yet, enabling computers to display and understand non-English languages is possible only due to one set of computer rules—Unicode in geek speak. “Fundamentally, computers just deal with numbers. They store letters and other characters by assigning a number for each one. Unicode provides a unique number for every character, no matter what the platform, program or language,” says N. Pradhan, president and MD, Red Hat India.

It is this flexibility that allows this desktop to comprehend Indian languages. It utilises this by making every function and set-up available in Indian languages. So, not only can you write in your preferred language, but also set up printers, USB drives and other peripherals. The appeal is obvious, as e-governance and e-learning platforms make their way into rural India; it is the regional language that will have an established mass base and a market waiting to be tapped into.

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However, one question remains: why would anybody comfortable with the existing Windows want to shift to a completely new software? “Buying proprietary software is like buying a car with the hood welded shut. You have no access to the engine that makes it run. If you wish to modify or repair your engine, you can’t,” says Pradhan. The Red Hat desktop encourages users to tweak the program if they are not satisfied.

The system also benefits the casual user, for whom modifying is out of the question. “The cost of keeping proprietary desktops secure is rising. Then there’s the cost to deploy, update, and administrative costs,” says Pradhan.

A factor that swings in Linux 5 desktop’s favour is the ease with which users can switch from one company’s version of Linux to another. “They don’t have to uninstall or change their infrastructure. They are free to take their business to someone else,” says Pradhan.

At Rs 3,600, the Enterprise Linux 5 desktop is a tempting buy. What makes it more desirable is that the cost includes a whole bunch of software and one year of service support.