Click here to download the Sinhala Windows 7 LIP via the Microsoft.com Download Center.

Please note that the Sinhala  Windows 7 LIP can only be installed on a system that runs an English client version of Windows 7.  It is available to download for both 32-bit and 64-bit systems.

Localization was done by Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA)  (Translation and Linguistic Moderation), and Lionbridge (Strategic Engineering Partner). 

Facts about the language:

• Sinhala contains loan words of Portuguese, Dutch and English origin, which reflects Sri Lanka's colonial history. English was official language from 1833 to 1958 (that is until 10 years after independence).
• There is a crucial distinction between "high" and "low" Sinhala: The colloquial form used in everyday life is quite different from the literary form which is also spoken in formal environments and in the media. The differences are so big that the two forms could be considered two different languages. Not only is the vocabulary very distinct, but also the grammar: In the colloquial version there are no inflected forms for verbs, for example. This is a little like having King Edward's English used on MSNBC and slang in everyday conversations.
• There are no sub-clauses - comparable constructions are created with participles and adjectives. Therefore a phrase like "The man who gives information on LIP languages" becomes "The information on LIP languages giving man".
• There are no prepositions but only postpositions. "under the book" would literally retranslate as "book under".

Classification:

Sinhala is an Indo-Aryan language of the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family. It is most closely related to Dhivehi, which is spoken on the Maledives.

Click here for more information on the Sinhala language.

I have had couple of really bad experiences with Windows Mobile over the years ... remember my 90000 paper weight.

Anyways this are a million times better after getting the HTC Fuze. right now i'm super excited about the Windows Phone (or can I call it the version 7). I'm using WinMo 6.5 at the moment with couple of custom applications from Resco and things are nice and smooth. Looking forward for the new and exciting stuff planned for the next major release of WinMo.

Despite all the ups and downs one thing I love the platform is the support for developers to develop apps. This time things are taking a much cooler route by adapting Silverlight into the core UI of the Phone. So ... Developers who cant wait to get their hands on the new device ... goto http://developer.windowsphone.com/ to get started.

Couple of days back I just saw the blog post in bink about the Windows Home Server, Code Name “Vail” and the demo video seemd pretty interesting. Especially the media streaming functionalities. So immediately I started downloading and when the ADSL failed @ home downloaded the balance 1.5 GB using teh dongle. It seems its all worth it. i'm yet to explore it fully. will write some more details next week after playing with it a bit more.

What more could I say … everywhere I look, every blog entry I read about Windows 7 says only good things. I have been using it since the first beta and the experience has been fantastic. Even though Windows Vista experience was questionable at its best, Windows 7 delivers the expected quality, flexibility, performance … you name it … everything. As of now all my machines including the 2 Lenovo machines (tablet and laptop) and both desktops @ home are setup with Windows 7. Among all the coll new features … coolest for me is the Home Group feature which simplifies the process of creating, working and sharing information, files, videos, songs on the home network.

If you still haven’t had a chance to try Windows 7 out … what the hell dude! what on earth are you doing. Go grab a copy.

Windows 7 launch was simple. In Sri Lanka also we had several small events to launch this milestone product. Among them the official press conference, a CEO breakfast, Public Sector & Academic lunch, a dinner event for Microsoft partners and finally the Windows 7 community launch party was there. I couldn’t join the community launch party as I had to attend another important event … National Best e-Content Awards – e-Swabhimani.