ICTA promotes ICT in Local languages

Applications used their own fonts. No standard was used in the industry. Documents produced using one application could be accessed and used only through that application. This was a major problem when a person tried to use a document created by another using a different font or application. A copy of the font had to be sent to the recipient together with a Sinhala document, unless one knew that the recipient already had the font. This made the use of Sinhala e-mail impractical, and slowed the use of Sinhala on the web. Functions such as sorting in Sinhala and Tamil were not standardised among applications.

If devices and connectivity were affordable for al in Sri Lanka, a person conversant only in Sinhala or Tamil would use these only if they is relevant content to keep the user interested, and with local language support enabled.

Now it is possible to type in Sinhala and Tamil, exchange information in Sinhala and Tamil using computers and browse the web in Sinhala and Tamil without having to download various fonts. The content on websites in local languages is displayed as Sinhala and Tamil content, rather than as undecipherable symbols. New avenues are now open in the use of ICT for the majority of the people in Sri Lanka. Now anyone can work with anyone else! There is no need to send fonts with emails, no need to download proprietary fonts to view the web.

http://www.island.lk/2009/06/18/business10.html