"Madan Puruskar Pustakalaya launched NepaLinux on December 23. The first of its kind, NepaLinux i.e. Nepali Linux is a free and open source software (FOSS) that allows users to study, modify or redistribute unlike proprietary software.

"NepaLinux is aimed at desktop users", says Subir B. Prahdanang, development engineer of MPP. Any application that a normal user would want in a computer comes with NepaLinux without any additional installations. NepaLinux comes with applications such as Linux kernel, Nepali spell checker, Gnome, Desktop Environment, OpenOffice.org, Gimp Graphics Editor, GnuCash Accounting software,  IRC client, Development tools (like C and C++), Mozilla Suite, Firewall security, Antivirus, Rootkit and Sniffer Detection tools, Image viewer, games and more. Messaging tool alone allows  four different chat connections including msn and yahoo.

NepaLinux accomodates both English and Nepali language. "One can change the mode of language as required", says Basanta K Shrestha, another development engineer at MPP. Even help files have been translated in Nepali.

"As a Nepali, it is easier to express ourselves in Nepali", says Kedar Sharma, outreach coordinator of Nepali Language Computing Project. The Nepali words used in NepaLinux are National Language Information Technology standard, but some applications have been derived by professors at Tribhuvan University. "