MESSAGE
| DATE | 2003-09-24 |
| FROM | From: "Inker, Evan"
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [hangout] China Linux lobby a major threat to Microsoft Windows
|
China Linux lobby a major threat to Microsoft Windows
http://english.eastday.com/epublish/gb/paper1/1035/class000100001/hwz161483.
htm
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The threat to Microsoft Corp from the free Linux operating system could
intensify with the help of a powerful Asian triumvirate: Japan and South
Korea are prodding China to join an effort that promotes alternatives to
Windows.
Japan has earmarked 1 billion yen (US$8.6 million) for the project and will
host a meeting in November for the three governments to boost research in
Linux, including flavors that better handle Asian languages.
Like Germany, France and other European countries, Japan, South Korea and
China long have been wary of leaving too many government computers and
networks dependent on Windows. Many experts view Windows as too prone to
computer viruses and hacking.
In China, programmers developed a homegrown Linux version called Red Flag
Linux a few years ago. That software has been touted by Beijing as a secure
alternative to Windows.
But the latest multi-government attempt to promote Linux is unprecedented in
its scope, although some remain skeptical about its prospects.
"Linux is about to become an explosive hit in Japan," said Hajime Watanabe,
chief executive of Tokyo-based Linux supplier Turbolinux Inc. "The Chinese
are determined to say goodbye to Mr Bill Gates. The South Korean government
is thinking seriously about it. And the move is starting to take off in
Japan."
Microsoft spokesman Mark Martin said the company shares the Asian
governments' desire for strong technology industries.
But the Redmond, Washington State-based company said "consumers and market
forces, not government preferences should determine software selection and
development."
The firm said that it has been offering governments access to its secret
Windows code in an effort to alleviate their security concerns.
"We are eager to address any government concerns about Microsoft products,"
he said in an e-mail. "Microsoft will continue to work hard to earn
government trust and business and build on the strong relationships we hold
today."
Microsoft has identified Linux as one of the biggest threats to its success
as businesses, governments and others around the world try out or switch to
the open-source software.
In the past year, in addition to allowing access to Windows code, Microsoft
has also offered steep discounts to government agencies and school systems
to buy its software more cheaply.
Takashi Kume, a deputy director at the Japanese Trade Ministry, stressed
that the Linux effort is mostly about sharing research findings and
encouraging exchange among experts, reducing government outlays on Windows
license and maintenance fees, and promoting Linux use in the private sector.
"We are not trying to come up with a 'Rising Flag' operating system," he
said, referring to the Japanese flag that depicts a red sun in the backdrop
of white. "That would be a waste of money."
The Beijing press office of the Chinese Ministry of Information said it did
not know about the three-country Linux project. But South Korean and
Japanese officials said Chinese government representatives expressed
interest in the project during initial talks.
"Having an option other than Microsoft Windows brings more choices to
consumers," said Sangjin Lee, a director at the South Korean Information and
Communication Ministry. "We do need some kind of common ground."
The goal is to hammer out a Linux standard that can be shared in the three
markets, although specific targets and areas of cooperation are still
undecided, Lee said. Proponents say the initiative makes sense because of
the common software requirements to handle Asian languages, which have far
more characters than Western alphabets.
Even so, whatever technology standards emerge would be available outside
Asia as well.
The collaboration comes as analysts are predicting rising Asian sales of
networked gadgets that increasingly use Linux - such as cell phones and
Internet-connected household appliances.
The talks are expected to include representatives from electronics makers
such as Japan's Matsushita Electric Industrial Co, or Panasonic, and Samsung
Electronics Co of South Korea.
Yoshiaki Kushiki, the Panasonic managing director overseeing the company's
Linux projects, said Panasonic is already developing digital TVs that use
Linux.
The downside, he acknowledged, is that companies are going to have a hard
time differentiating their products through open-source systems.
The Linux project may be Japan's biggest software challenge to the United
States since the 1980s. Then, Japan's Tron standard was criticized as a
possible trade barrier by the United States and viewed as a potential target
of sanctions.
Versions of Tron are still used in coding and other software, but it never
developed into a major challenge to Windows.
"If they were to try again, Linux would be a great place to start," said
Benjamin Wedmore, an analyst with HSBC Securities in Tokyo.
But Wedmore remained skeptical because standards tend to emerge from
companies - not governments - even though companies have great difficulties
in trying to agree.
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