FOSS Localization: A Solution for the ICT Dilemma of Developing Countries

Information and communication technology (ICT) has tremendously expanded making the access to right information at the right time feasible ensuring the success of an individual, organization or culture. In order to make the most out of this exciting revolution one must be in a position to afford and completely comprehend what is offered by this technology. Unfortunately most of the software are controlled by proprietary that are economically unaffordable for developing countries and are based on language that is not comprehendible by their masses. Software localization of free and open source software (FOSS) is an effort that addresses this twofold dilemma. FOSS made software affordable while localization bridges the language barrier that helps people to fully comprehend and utilize the benefits of ICT. In this research we have explored various aspects of the software localization of free and open source operating system (FOSOS) and developed a working prototype. Paper explains concept and all the technical steps of FOSS localization of Ubuntu Linux that is a FOSOS with a foreseeable future work