On 9/1/05, W. Wayne Liauh <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
What I would like to see in a "Chinese users community" is something that should go beyond the conventional notion of just "Solaris users", but should also include some proactive efforts to find a way to raise attention/interests from Chinese/Taiwanese governments.
Yesterday, Korea's Postal Service Agency announced that it is moving Linux to
its desktop computers nationwide beginning 09/01/05, replacing Microsoft Windows:
http://lists.hosef.org/pipermail/luau/2005-August/016432.html
Personally, I don't believe similar action will be taken in China. Since software is, for all practical purposes, "free" in China, the potential cost-saving associated with moving to Linux alone does not offer much incentive, if any. Trying to find tech support for Linux is also worse than a nightmare.
Chinese/Taiwanese government officials are, at best, lukewarm toward Linux b/c they don't feel they can retain any intellectual property rights. (This reminds me of Mr. Jonathan Schwartz's famous "I believe in Intellectual Property" manifesto.)
Sun's position in promoting an open-source system without completely shutting the door for a more flexible IP, should play well with Chinese officials. This will be a big plus for Solaris/OpenSolaris if such advantage can be channeled, via the establishment of a bunch of competing/cooperating "Chinese OpenSolaris user communities", to the appropriate policy makers.
If China can be interested, Taiwan, which now maintains a trade surplus of more $50 billion dollars a year against China, will be even more so.
About 5~6 years ago (b4 the change of Taiwan government from the pro-China KMT to the anti-China DPP), Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs earmarked $5B to try to jump-start Taiwan's software industry. It is highly expected that KMT will return to power after 2008. But irrespective of what may or may not happen, Sun seems to have the secret chips that probably not too many are aware of.
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