Windows Vista and MS Office 2007 now Sinhala enabled

By Jithendra Antonio

In a futuristic move to develop rural sector Information Technology (IT) literacy, Microsoft Sri Lanka recently launched Microsoft Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 in Sinhala. Speaking at the ceremony, Country Manager of Microsoft Sri Lanka Limited, Sriyan de Silva Wijeyratne, said that the people in the rural areas of the country could now learn IT with Sinhala integrated in Windows.

“At Microsoft, we have done much for IT development in the country. We recently gave all our software free to local universities so that local students could further develop the applications. And now we have fulfilled a promise we made since IT was introduced to Sri Lanka,” Mr. de Silva Wijeyratne said adding that the Sinhala Microsoft version would make a significant difference to the IT industry in Sri Lanka. The total Sinhala version of Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 is a joint project of Microsoft Sri Lanka, the Information Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), the University of Colombo and Science Land Private Limited. According to Mr. Wijeyratne, Microsoft will distribute 10,000 original copies of the Windows Vista Sinhala version for free. The application will be also be available online at no cost. The Windows Vista version comes with a glossary which will help users to understand Sinhala terms for the relevant English words that are used in the Windows Vista operating system.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Chief Executive Officer of ICTA, Roshan Devapura noted that availability of computer software in Sinhala language will be a major factor in the development of Information Technology in the nation. “There is a need to bridge the gap between English and Sinhala in order to uplift IT literacy in the country. The gap between English and Sinhala users is even greater than the Digital Divide. Today, this Sinhala version of Microsoft Windows has been launched as yet another example of a private-public partnership aimed to bridge this IT gap” added Mr. Devapura.

Minister of Science and Technology, Professor Tissa Vitharana, in his keynote address, said that the introduction of the Sinhala version of Microsoft Windows is another step towards the development of the IT industry and socio-economic development in the country. “This is just the beginning and it should be developed further. A Microsoft Windows version in all three languages should be introduced so that Information Technology is available to all sectors, which could be used for the economic development of the country,” added the Minister.