[ox-en] China to invest heavily in Linux
- From: "geert lovink" <geert desk.nl>
- Date: Sun, 9 Nov 2003 17:38:10 +1000
http://www.ciol.com/content/news/2[PHONE NUMBER REMOVED].asp
BEIJING: The Chinese government plans to throw its financial weight
behind Linux-based computer systems that could rival Microsoft Corp.'s
Windows in one of the world's fastest-growing technology markets, an
official said.
China would build a domestic software industry around Linux -- a cheaper
software standard that can copied and modified freely -- said Gou
Zhongwen, a vice minister at the powerful Ministry of Information
Industry.
"Linux is an opportunity for us to make a breakthrough in developing
software," he was quoted as saying on the ministry Web site
www.mii.gov.cn. "But the market cannot be developed on a large scale
without government support."
Gou did not give details on the amount of planned government investment
in Linux. China's information technology market is growing at 20 percent
a year, with software sales expected to reach $30.5 billion in 2005,
according to research house International Data Corp.
The domestic industry is dominated by Microsoft, Oracle Corp , IBM Corp,
Sybase Inc, UFSoft and Kingsoft Co. Japan, China and South Korea agreed
in September to collaborate on building a new computer operating system
as an alternative to Windows. Japanese media reported they would likely
build an open-source system such as Linux.
Chinese officials have said they preferred to use software with open
source codes to ensure that software guarding sensitive state
information and networks cannot be tampered with easily. The government
has been pushing the development of a homegrown software industry and a
national standard for Linux to counter the dominance of Windows.
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