Oaxaca, Endless OS, and indigenous languages
A rural Mexican state was the setting for an initiative to use the GNOME-based Endless OS to improve education in indigenous communities. Over the last several years, the Endless OS Foundation has teamed up with the Fundación Alfredo Harp Helú Oaxaca (FAHHO) to deliver offline-first computers to those communities, but also to assist these communities in preserving their native languages. In a talk at GUADEC 2022, Rob McQueen provided a look at the project and what it has accomplished.
McQueen was not slated to give the talk—he already gave an earlier presentation at the conference—but Sergio Solis, who is from Guadalajara where the conference was held, was unfortunately unable to attend due to his family coming down with COVID. McQueen apologized for flying into Mexico from England to give a talk about Mexico when he had never been to the country before. But, as the CEO of the Endless OS Foundation, McQueen is obviously knowledgeable about the project and was able to step in and pinch-hit for Solis.