Blogging and Me

Kashif Aziz asked bloggers on the Pakistani Probloggers Facebook group page: Pakistani Probloggers: Lets share more about ourselves, specifically: Why you started blogging. What are / were your inspirations. What other blogs / sites do you frequently read. Were do you see yourself as a pro blogger in next couple of years. Replying this post … Continue reading →

Trying Debian Lenny

Debian’s latest stable release Lenny arrived on Valentine’s day. Previously, I installed Debian using the net-install CD. This time Debian has made it easier, now you can download a single CD and install a fully functional Debian GNU linux with Gnome Desktop Environment. This CD or DVD is the first CD or DVD in the … Continue reading →

People Who Eat Cats and Dogs

I was sitting in the waiting room of a clinic at OMI hospital. The waiting rooms are all the same every where in the world. You can imagine the scene. There are not-so-comfortable sofas with a coffee table in the center and some magazines lying on it, a few elderly ladies accompanied by their daughters … Continue reading →

Google Docs: Using Fonts for Other Languages

How to use Google Docs for with fonts for other languages. Such as Urdu, Arabic, Hebrew and Persian (right-to-left script) or any other east asian languages requiring complex scripting. I write short stories for children in Urdu language. In order to use Google Docs with Urdu, I need Urdu fonts and I also need to … Continue reading →

Enabling Urdu Support in Ubuntu

Note: Their is an updated version of this guide available. If you are using Ubuntu 9.04 or higher then please follow the new instructions here. Writing and Reading in Urdu on Ubuntu is not configured properly in a default installation. So most Urdu users face trouble once they have installed Ubuntu. Sometimes they give up … Continue reading →

Queries Made by Pakistanis

The Google Zeitgeist now shows popular queries from Pakistan. In January 2007, the most popular query made by Pakistanis is Pakistan itself. Yes, the country we live in is just as mysterious and unknown to us as it is for any European or African. We don’t really have any stars and celebrities of our own … Continue reading →

Folktales for Children

I love reading stories to my neice Minahil. She visits us nearly every weekend with her mother and wants me to tell him some new story eachtime. I love to see the way her eyes shine with fascination, curiosity and imagination that takes her to wonderful world of fairies, magicians, witches and brave heroes. To … Continue reading →

Localizing Gnome and Ubuntu in Urdu

During last few weeks I had been working on the Localization of Ubuntu and Gnome into Urdu. As part of Ubuntu Urdu Translators Team and Gnome Localization Project on UrduWeb, I spent my time organizing the teams and translating some files. I also made a tool Word Bank for Urdu software translators. This little utility … Continue reading →