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SovInformBureau News
October 30, 1997
Russification News ------------------ * Created YaWERTY (Phonetic) keyboard layout for Windows NT. Originally we have recommended to use Mike Chikalov *.EXE program that could change something in the registry and thus install phonetic layout. The problem with this program was that choice that you made by running it was not reversable, that is it was impossible to get back to JTsUKENG layout without completely reinstalling the system. Our new approach is completely reversable. * Added letter "Yo" to X Windows fonts and keyboard layouts. Yes -- now they can do it -- enjoy all 33 letters of Russian alphabet on your X Windows system. You can see them all and you can type them all! * Added "Fundamentals" section to "Russifying MS Windows Applications" page. This page explains general principles that apply to russification of any Windows application. * Improved general structure of "Russify X Windows" page and made instructions more clear and more systematic.
September 24, 1997
* Redesign SovInformBureau and Russify Everything sites. New design: - makes pages smaller and therefore faster to download, - improves navigation, - improves visual impression. Russification News ------------------ * Convert Russify MS Windows site to "Microsoft religion". No, no, I did not get paid by Microsoft to do it. It was done for practical reasons. The new theory basics: - Microsoft has nice-looking cyrillic fonts that are free and that come in CP1251 only. - Modern applications, specifically, Navigator 4.0+ and Explorer 3.0+ automatically translate KOI8-R HTML page or e-mail or news article to CP1251 when you read it, and they trabslate CP1251 back to KOI8-R when you send e-mail or news article out. Therefore it does not make much sense to use KOI8-R fonts and KOI8-R keyboard layouts, if you can use default Microsoft fonts and have KOI8-R supported anyway. Hint: Microsoft fonts look much better than free ForWWW, etc. fonts. However you still need good old KOI8-R ForWWW fonts for older applications and for older versions of Windows (3.1). * Created Phonetic or YaWERTY *.kbd file for Windows 95, so that you can easily switch to phonetic layout by official means, without running dangerous applications (dangerous in a sense that sometimes you cannot undo what they did to your system) that change your system internals. * Added "Russify Netscape Navigator 4.0" topic to "Russify MS Windows applicaitons" page. On UNIX I recommend to stay with 3.0 for now. 4.0 does not really help russification much on UNIX.
August 12, 1997
Russian Visa News ----------------- * Put TIFF and PS versions of Russian Visa form and handout on SovInformBureau. The forms and handouts are scanned from the paper versions that you can get from the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C. But now you can download Visa Questionnaire (Vizovaya Anketa) from SovInformBureau and save a trip or phone call to the Russian Embassy! Important Russian visa changes for 1997: * Almost all Business invitations must be processed through the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. * Company checks are not accepted anymore. * If you apply for a visa valid for more than 3 months you must submit HIV Test (AIDS) Certificate. Russification News ------------------ * X Windows: Added CP-1251 Cyrillic fonts and Intructions on how to make Netscape Navigator 3.0 use these fonts. So now you can browse Cyrillic CP-1251 sites on your X Windows box! * Recommend to use keyboard switcher Xrus over everything else. Xrus switcher completely solves portability problem and makes keyboard switching easy on any platform.
July 08, 1997
Russification News ------------------ Major Major upgrade at the MS Windows Russification site. * Tons of e-mail and complaints received by SIB resulted in considerably clarified and improved instructions. * Added a section on Eudora mail program. * Added a section on MS Internet Explorer 3.0. * Clarified Windows NT cyrillic Keyboard Switcher installation. Russian Visa news ----------------- * It is now much harder to get a Russian visa than it was, say, a year or two ago. The forms that I have in Visa Section of SIB do not reflect the new rules. To be updated soon. * It is now possible to get Russian passport abroad without relinquishing propiska. That is, if you are a Russian citizen, you live abroad, and you have a Green Card or equivalent, you still can get a regular Russian passport, not a P.M.Zh. passport in the Russian embassy or consulate abroad. Where is the magic? Tell the embassy clerk that you intend to return to Russia -- not now, later, but, yes sir, I will return. This is what creates a difference between getting a P.M.Zh. passport and getting a regular passport.