On Mon, Dec 15, 2003 at 12:28:20AM +0000, Guido Sohne wrote: > Vietnam, with a 97% piracy rate for software, has decided to embrace > free software in order to permit compliance with IP agreements that > would be required to join the WTO. > > http://www.linuxinsider.com/perl/story/32330.html
And I quote "Only 2 million of Vietnam's 80 million people have computers and, of all the countries where Microsoft maintains an office, Vietnam is the smallest market." The real reason for adopting OpenSource here is more political than technological.If Vietnam doesnt meet the agreement they signed with Microsoft, the US will impose some kind of embargo.However, whatever the reason for converting to OSS, it is still a welcome move for a developing country.This continues a trend among thirdworld countries where the technocrats are waking up to the realisation that however popular Microsoft products are, they simply cant fit into their budget. If Vietnam can increase the computer literacy of its population, then this move could have significant implications for the whole of east Asia. The word on the street will soon spread to other countries in that region,if it already hasnt and who knows where this will end. -- Kabagambe Kenneth [Insanity is a very serious mind status] --------------------------------------------- This service is hosted on the Infocom network http://www.infocom.co.ug
