Arabeyes
Encyclopedia
Arabeyes is a Free
Open Source
project that is aimed at fully supporting the Arabic language
in the Unix
/Linux
environment. It was established in early 2001 by a number of Arab Linux enthusiasts.
, the "ITL" (Islam
ic Tools and Libraries) which provide Hijri dates
, Muslim prayer times and Qibla
, and an entire distribution named Arabbix, which is based on Knoppix
.
Located online at arabeyes.org, this network calls itself as a "meta project that is aimed at fully supporting the Arabic language in the Unix
/Linux
environment". It is designed to be a central location to standardize the Arabization process. Interestingly, Arabeyes relies on voluntary contributions by computer professionals and enthusiasts scattered across the globe.
Like other Free/Open Source Software projects that thrive on the Internet, this one too
has its contributors
coming in from different countries and regions.
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
Open Source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
project that is aimed at fully supporting the Arabic language
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
in the Unix
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
/Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
environment. It was established in early 2001 by a number of Arab Linux enthusiasts.
Project
The project runs a portal for sub-projects such as Arabic free software Unicode fonts and text editorText editor
A text editor is a type of program used for editing plain text files.Text editors are often provided with operating systems or software development packages, and can be used to change configuration files and programming language source code....
, the "ITL" (Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic Tools and Libraries) which provide Hijri dates
Islamic calendar
The Hijri calendar , also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries , and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic...
, Muslim prayer times and Qibla
Qibla
The Qiblah , also transliterated as Qibla, Kiblah or Kibla, is the direction that should be faced when a Muslim prays during salah...
, and an entire distribution named Arabbix, which is based on Knoppix
Knoppix
Knoppix, or KNOPPIX , is an operating system based on Debian designed to be run directly from a CD / DVD or a USB key , one of the first of its kind for any operating system. Knoppix was developed by Linux consultant Klaus Knopper. When starting a program, it is loaded from the removable medium...
.
Located online at arabeyes.org, this network calls itself as a "meta project that is aimed at fully supporting the Arabic language in the Unix
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
/Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
environment". It is designed to be a central location to standardize the Arabization process. Interestingly, Arabeyes relies on voluntary contributions by computer professionals and enthusiasts scattered across the globe.
Like other Free/Open Source Software projects that thrive on the Internet, this one too
has its contributors
Collaborative software development model
The Collaborative software development model is a style of software development whose focus is on public availability and communication, usually via the Internet.The software development model began widespread adoption with the Linux kernel in 1991....
coming in from different countries and regions.
Priorities
Arabeye says its priorities are to:- Address the various font/keyboard-mapping issues (for typing in Arabic)
- Create the ability to write plain-text Arabic easily
- Create the ability to spell-check your Arabic text documents
- Create the ability to send and receive mail through an Arabic interface
- Localize (or translate) Common Graphical-User-Interface (GUI)
- Create the ability to take Arabic text files and create various enriched documents (using computer-based formats such as TeX, Word, etc.)