[ale] Linux, the official OS of Red China

[Jeff Dilcher]

Linux, the official OS of Red China
http://www.ga-source.com/linux/news/bits/10+10+1999/16:54:2.shtml


The Chinese government is so enthusiastic about the community ethos behind the open
source community that it is making Linux the official operating system of the Peoples
Republic of China, thanks to a deal struck with US server side computing firm
GraphOn.

The deal will allow a variety of server side applications to be run on cost efficient
Linux boxes in Chinese universities, military installations and even within the
government.

According to GraphOn there is a strong identification between communist China and the
open-source free operating system that is taking the western world by storm.
"Enthusiasm for Linux is coming from the very highest level of the Government in
China," says Robin Ford executive vice president of GraphOn. "There are cultural
reasons why they are so interested in Linux in China, because it is open source."

GraphOn concedes however that the Chinese government is probably enthused by its
server technology because it provides a simple way of keeping an eye on users'
computer activity. "It is all about control but it's not an ugly or a bad control,
it's not a big brother sort of thing," says Ford. "It's about cost control and
they've looked at the problems that other markets have had with desktop based
application and want to avoid them." Reported By: James Hills  Posted At: 4:54 pm
CST - Wednesday, November 10, 1999