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The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing today announced its 'iLEAP-ISP' scheme that makes available free multilingual software to all subscribers of Internet accounts in the country.

The software comprises a multilingual word processor with Internet and email support in Indian languages. Surfers should be able to pick up the package from their respective Internet service providers.

C-DAC is India's national initiative in advanced computing. Its mission was to deliver open architecture, scalable high-performance computers in the teraFLOPS range with emergent standard building blocks.

This goal was achieved when it built the PARAM series of supercomputers. In time, however, the focus of C-DAC has shifted to language technologies and education too.

The iLEAP-ISP scheme is C-DAC's next initiative to popularise and spread Indian language usage in computers around the country.

The scheme's package contains iLEAP Version 2.0, an Internet-ready Indian-languages word processor. It is being given free to ISPs for distribution to their subscribers.

iLEAP, will be authenticated for a very limited period to all Internet subscribers.

If any subscriber wishes to be the registered user of this software, she has to obtain a 'registered user ID' that could be obtained by paying a licence fee of Rs 500.

The scheme was launched after discussions with ISPs that felt the need for a multilingual solution in order to provide better services.

The software will be displayed and demonstrated during 'ISP India'99', which is being held in Bangalore from March 8 to 10.

According to Chandrashekhar Raje, coordinator, business division of the GIST Group of C-DAC, the scheme is part of C-DAC's social commitment towards the spread of language technology.

The ISPs, Raje feels, have realised the importance of Indian language software to reach subscribers and the scheme should make their job easier.

i-LEAP, according to Raje, has retained all the facilities of previous versions such as the collection of clipart, symbols and borders, document templates, search and replace, document import-export, navigation pallet and aesthetics.

The languages supported in this package are Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Tamil and Telugu with 10 fonts for each language.

i-LEAP was launched by C-DAC in September 1998 and is available in the market for Rs 2,000. It is also sold through e-commerce outlets in Singapore and the United States for US $ 50.

Since its launch, iLEAP-Lite, the demo version that is available free of cost on the C-DAC site [http://www.cdac.org.in] has recorded an average download of 150 per day, Raje claims.

By the end of February, over 25,000 downloads were recorded. The United States took 33 per cent of these, followed by India (26 per cent), Singapore (9 per cent), United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, UAE and the Netherlands (3 per cent each) and others countries (17 per cent).

UNI

Earlier:

The Polyglot Plot
When the PC will speak to mausi in shudh Hindi there will be money, money, money!

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