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China's Linux Gamble

Posted by bstadil on · 1 comment
Byte.com; By Maria Trombly 		Mail this story
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On virtually any street in Shanghai or Beijing, you can buy a Hollywood DVD or hot new CD for $1 or less. Vendors peddle Microsoft Office, Windows XP, and every other popular software applications out of cardboard boxes jammed full of discs. Entire markets in the major cities are dedicated to selling knock-offs of designer goods for pennies on the dollar.

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Comments (1)

TxtEdMacs ·
The Party has other concerns beyond money [or the economic development argument in the article]. Indeed, in the eyes of the Party this could turn on open source or even free software becoming an "enemy of the people". Consider, how could you search for "free ..." on Google (or the Chinese equivalent) when the very word is considered subversive? Or on a more subtle level, if free or even open software development requires freely made contacts and open discussion, might that be the beginning of a longer term problem for the ruling elite? We may have to rely upon Microsoft to fsk this one by reminding the Party how their people are hooked on Windows.

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