Microsoft today announced the release of the
Hebrew edition of Windows95, a fully localized,
Hebrew version of its new operating system. The
package will soon be augmented by a fully
localized Office package, including Word 7.0,
Excel 7.0 and Access 7.0, fully supported with
the Hebrew features.
Windows 95 has already been localized in 20
native languages, and the Israeli edition is
the first Bi-Di version that supports right-
left text flow.
According to Erlando Elya, who coordinates
international marketing support at the
corporation, the Israeli release already
includes several improvements, compared to the
basic Win95 release, including the integrated
Internet Explorer and some software fixes.
According to Steve Palmer, Senior VP of
Microsoft, in the next few months, we may
expect a major upgrade of Win95, with the
introduction of Win95 Nashville add-on package.
Further improvements to the system will include
ActiveX and Explorer 3.0. This internet browser
application fully supports standard Unicode
fonts that enable easier presentation of rich
text contents and Hebrew web pages. Arieh Skop,
General Manager of Microsoft Israel, said that
a team of 12 developers is already tackling the
conversion of Windows NT to Hebrew, and this
task should be completed next year. Other news
concerns the Java evelopment environment
Jakarta, which will also be announced soon.
Localization was a major obstacle in the
release of the new Windows environment here in
Israel. Microsoft could support only one
effort, and the local office selected Win95 as
the primary target for localization, leaving
Win-NT in its English version for the time
being. The localization was performed in the
USA, by a team of ten Hebrew speaking experts,
and the support of the Israeli office.
Microsoft also operate a design and test center
in Haifa, Israel but this facility is currently
assisting the corporate's core operating system
activity, including the internet server
software and conducting software compatibility
testing. This center employs some 400 personnel
and is the largest of its kind at Microsoft,
outside the USA