Microsoft issues Maltese version of Windows XP

Microsoft's Windows XP software has been made available in Maltese and plans are in hand to introduce a spellchecker to make it easier for people to use their native language correctly.

The Maltese version was launched to teachers yesterday evening by IT Minister Austin Gatt and Andy Abbar, Microsoft's director for international strategic initiatives, at the Le Meridien Phoenicia Hotel in Floriana.

The ministry has been working hard to make it easier for people to bridge the digital divide and use computers, and this is seen as another step towards attaining this goal.

Together with Microsoft, the ministry has already developed the Maltese alphabet along the international standard Unicode, which allows people to read e-mails in Maltese without the hindrance of having symbols replacing the Maltese font.

A keyboard with Maltese fonts has also been adopted together with the help of the Malta Standards Authority. A local manufacturer has now started selling these keyboards to facilitate the lives of those who prefer to write in Maltese.

Dr Gatt told those present that as with any technological product, software was constantly being updated and since this was the first generation of Windows XP that has been completely translated into Maltese, there was the chance of having mistakes.

He encouraged teachers and educators to visit the ministry's website and point out any mistakes they came across, so that when the second generation of software was launched it would be a more correct version.

During the coming months, the ministry will also be creating an on-line space for public discussions on the translation of the software, since words are constantly changing.

The new software is free and can be downloaded from the ministry's website: www.miti.gov.mt.