One of the most widely used open source bulletin board systems (forum software) in the world, phpBB has since version 2.x been available with a limited Latvian user interface as well.
Latvian language packs (as well as Estonian and Lithuanian) are available for phpBB 2.0.x and the latest phpBB 3.0.0 versions. Kaspars, the main translator, also provides the ability to download the language pack from his Web site at www.phpbb.lv.
Further effort is required to complete the Latvian localisation, for example, the Administration Control Panel is yet to be translated to Latvian.
One of the new features of the Firefox 2.x Web browser is the inline spellcheck that provides hints of possible spelling mistakes as you type inside Web forms.
You’ll need to download the appropriate dictionary (both Latvian and Lithuanian languages are available) from the Firefox Add-ons page. Works with both Macintosh and Windows versions of Firefox.
The last couple of months has seen not only more detail added to Rīga (especially the smaller streets), but the addition of many regional cities in Latvia which previously were represented only as a dot on the map. On closer scrutiny Google Maps has still some work to do to correct details and driving directions.
The map of Kuldiga now shows more detail, but the Venta ir shown as a lake rather than a river (click on map above).
In travelling from Rīga to Daugavpils most local drivers would take the main “Daugavpils šoseja” on the other side of the Daugava rather than the route suggested by Google Maps (click on map above).
Back in 2004 GMail made news by being the first Web-based email service to offer 1 Gb free file storage. At the beginning of this year it has finally been opened up to the public (previously it was by invitation only), but the best news of all is that the interface is also available in all three Baltic languages.
Click on any of the images below to view some GMail screens in Latvian.
Wikipedia is an online free-content encyclopedia that anyone can edit. The theory goes that since so many people read the articles and monitor contributions then the biased, out-of-date or incorrect information is soon corrected and validated. The Latvian version Vikipēdija already has over 8000 articles, but is still behind the Estonian and Lithuanian versions of 30,000 articles each. Become a Wikipedian and help make this an even better resource for Latvians worldwide.
The popular Internet search tool “Google” supports more than 104 languages or dialects and offers a personalised version of its engine for 113 countries. Amongst this list you will also find Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian versions.
If you are residing in Latvia and accessing Google then you will automatically be redirected to the Latvian version of Google, irrespective of whether you typed in http://www.google.com or http://www.google.lv
Did you know that since March 2004 you can register .lv domain names that contain Latvian accented letters? NIC provides tūdaliņ.lv as an example to test your Web browser.
You can also read my article on Latvian domain names at Latvians Online.
Latvia is at the top of the list in terms of per capita usage of this low-cost Internet telephony service used by over 120 million people worldwide. So it is no wonder that the company has provided its Web site in Latvian as well.
You can also read my Latvians Online article on Skype usage in Latvia.
