Filipino Firefox
DO we need a Filipino-language version of Firefox? Mozilla, maker of the world’s most downloaded browser, wants to know.
The question was put to me last week by Gen Kanai, director for Asia business development at Mozilla. He and his colleague, Seth Bindernagel, were in town to touch base with users, bloggers and Web developers to find out what Mozilla can or should do in the Philippines.
In response to Kanai’s question, I said there’s no urgent need for a Filipino-language version because most users here are comfortable with English. It’s not essential, but that’s not to say that some people won’t use it if it were available.
I have no hard figures to support my answer, just my own preferences and gut feel.
I realize that not everyone would react the same way, but whenever my browser calls up the Filipino version of Google, I immediately send it back to the US English edition. I would treat a Filipino-language browser much the same way: acknowledge its existence, then get on with life.
On the other hand, I realize there might be a lot of interest in a localized browser, and that there are many more end-users out there for whom English is not their first language. After all, the most widely viewed TV shows are all in Filipino, and the most widely read newspapers aren’t the English-language broadsheets but Filipino tabloids. Certainly, folks who fit this media profile would benefit from a Filipino browser.
To make that happen, Mozilla, a self-sustaining but non-profit organization, will need volunteers.
“Firefox is available in 75 different languages on three different platforms – Windows, Linux and the Mac, and 100 percent of this is done on a volunteer basis,” says Bindernagel, who works with a global community of localizers to translate the browser into the many different languages.
To create a Filipino Firefox, Mozilla would need to build up a local team of volunteer workers and encourage them to contribute to the effort.
“Localization is much more than translation,” he says. “Firefox allows people to customize the search settings, live bookmark feeds and other default Web applications and we’re inviting local volunteers to give us what settings they think would be best.”
For example, he says, a Firefox version tailored to Filipino users might use a localized search engine and e-commerce and load news from local sources rather than the BBC through its live bookmarks.
Speaking at the WordCamp conference over the weekend, Bindernagel told bloggers that localized versions of Firefox cover over 97 percent of the world’s Internet population with a language option those users speak natively.
Mozilla supports volunteer teams by providing multiple channels for participation, a variety of tools and documentation.
“My call to action was two-fold: the blogging community can help promote the open Web through their blogs, and, if people feel empowered to do so, let’s start a localization for Filipino users,” Bindernagel wrote after the conference.
“Feedback from these local bloggers was energetic, questions were poignant, and the message was embraced. My prediction, a Mozilla community here is going to take off if we continue to nurture, empower, and participate.”
One reason Mozilla is so interested in the Philippines is the rapid growth in usage despite the lack of a local presence.
“We’ve seen a lot of growth of Firefox in the Philippines,” Kanai says. “The annual growth rate has been over 100 percent, making the Philippines the fourth fastest-growing country [in the world]. It’s also the 15th or 16th largest market for Firefox, which is pretty staggering because in places like the United States and Europe where Firefox is firmly established, we have a physical presence. Here we have no employees, yet the organic growth has been tremendous.”
Worldwide, Firefox is the leading free, open source Web browser with 300 million users and a 23 percent share of the market. This is no mean feat, considering the most used browser, Internet Explorer, is part of the Windows operating system and is therefore installed by default on about 90 percent of all personal computers. In contrast, Firefox must be chosen, downloaded and installed on most systems. In this sense, Firefox is arguably the world’s most popular browser of choice.
Part of that popularity no doubt comes from the ability of ordinary users to help shape the browser with their feedback under an open environment.
Where is Firefox heading in the Philippines?
“One message we are carrying today is that we want Filipinos to know they can communicate with Mozilla and tell us what they think,” says Kanai. “This can be by way of a blog post, a message in one of the groups or by IRC, but we need to hear from Filipino users.”