Posted on 02/07/2006 11:26:40 AM PST by N3WBI3
Microsoft's row with Korean regulators could boost Linux in Asia, the region's first listed Linux developer told vnunet.com today.
"It should definitely have a positive public relations impact for us," said Nobu Okada, chief financial officer at Turbolinux, a Japan-based Linux developer that carried out a successful IPO in September.
Microsoft said that it might stop selling Windows in Korea if regulators demand a rewrite of the operating system's code to remove certain features.
As regulators from the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) met to discuss a ruling in an antitrust case aimed at Microsoft, the president of Microsoft Korea, Yoo Jae-sung, said that if the KFTC urges Microsoft to remove bundled applications from Windows, it would be "difficult for us to do business in Korea".
The comments, reported in the Korea Times, appear to represent a strengthening of Microsoft's position, after a Korean official scolded the company earlier today.
The official told Reuters that Microsoft " should take responsibility for its customers and companies in relation to its business". On Sunday, a Microsoft Korea representative had been more conciliatory.
Mike Davis, senior research analyst with the Butler Group, downplayed the dispute's global significance. "Really, for Microsoft, Korea is small potatoes," he said.
Consumers would be likely to switch to pirated versions of Windows if they could not buy a bona fide copy, he predicted, although this would deny them access to official updates.
Davis believes that any positive impact for Linux is likely to result from the South Korea government insisting that its departments use alternatives to Windows.
With most Linux developers worldwide focusing on English and European languages, Turbolinux is generally recognised as one of the leading Asian providers of Linux, with a version adapted for Asian-language display and input, notably Japanese, Chinese and Korean.
The robust actions of Korean regulators are part of a global trend, argued Okada. "More than 30 countries are shifting toward open source software as a result of government leadership," he said.
If Microsoft really did delay or cease Windows deliveries in Korea, both Linux and Apple would benefit.
"For the desktop PC, the only alternatives are Mac OS and Linux," he said. Linux could see even greater gains in the server market, he added.
However, Okada warned that there is speculation that Korea's tough position could be a negotiating stance designed to win concessions from Microsoft. A decision in the case is expected during the next few days.
Microsoft's regional headquarters has not responded to vnunet.com's requests for comment on the Korean case this week.
While Microsoft can afford to play hardball with smaller nations like Korea, larger markets may not be so easy to push around.
"If China turned around and said 'no' to Microsoft, then they would have to take notice," said Davis.
Personally, I happen to believe it. I was calling you on your selective quote harvesting.
One minor caveat though--Asianux is based on RHEL4. They stole nothing, and they don't have the proprietary software included in RHEL.
Yet another statement that proves you know nothing of the subject.
Paying who? Quite a bit of the software inside the GPL'ed portion of Red Hat isn't even from the US. Red Hat (an American company) got it for free from someone else.
Besides, how would you suggest they pay for it? Each piece of code belongs to a different developer.
Actually, the adoption of linux is the seque into a new generation of property rights. MS has been something of a medieval "robber baron" with a castle on the river, demanding tribute from every boat that passed. Linux built a road around the castle and now the individual lords are free to impose whatever tariffs are appropriate for the load that enters. Your article stated clearly that the money doesn't come from the OS, but rather in CLIENT SPECIFIC APPS that can be custom designed for each enterprise. If I hired some codehead to write apps for my business, it would cost me a fortune. However, if OS were to command 30-40-60 per cent of the market, there would be tons of guys out there ready to write and tinker with end user apps for small to mid-range businesses...... OR to write custom end user apps for "off the shelf" software. Try getting QuickBooks edited now to fit the needs of your office!!
In providing that link, (http://www.developerpipeline.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=170700731 ) you answered you own question which has droned incessantly of "how can you make money on something you give away." Read the article, Hiram. It is a business model that looks to MAKE MONEY off a giveaway. Doh.
So far despite your attempted cover up I've obviously been right on.
does what they do violate the linux licence?
if no then anyone can do what they did. my pclinuxos is "based" on an old manadrake.
if yes, then it is simple another china software bootleg and linux wouldn't support it.
what is the big deal here with red flag?
This would be fine, if they're allowed to get it at all. Better than giving it to them for free, which you seem to prefer.
http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?EDC=901847
This is GE's pet panic inducer. Asianux is actually a consortium, run by several entities, including the US's Oracle. This consortium produces a linux distro in complete compliance with the GPL. Red Flag is a company out of China that is also part of this consortium, but they also produce a distro that is based off of Asianux.
GE likes to trumpet Red Flag as an example of another country "stealing" US code without any benefit to us.
In reality, a lot of the code isn't even created in the US (see also GE's rant about linux being a "foreign fake"), and Red Hat gets this code for free also.
This whole argument is basically a straw man that he occasionally likes to strike down and then feel superior. We've been letting him do this as it makes him feel somewhat better about his arguments.
Nothing new about socialism, this is just a new package.
So you'd be OK with them getting their software for free as long as they bought the support?
Cause that is all that you are buying at that link.
lol. Kind of like Canada..., what some wag described at your retarded cousin whom you listen to and pat on the head and then ignore.
Oops. I was mistaken. You are also buying proprietary software that is not included in Asianux or Red Flag.
You'd prefer them to have proprietary American software?
In other words, they take all the free technology they can from US companies like Red Hat, and sell it across Asia for their own profit instead of ours. Don't act like Red Hat doesn't contribute to Linux, they have more kernel contributors than anyone. Ever heard of "RPM"? Do you know what the "R" stands for? Hint: it doesn't mean "Made in China". Yet China profits from it, since they get it for free.
Read my post again, I said if they're allowed to get it at all, which I don't want to allow. Giving it to them for free is the worst possible case though. Is that why you're wondering if I want to sell it, because that is contrary to your belief it should be given to them for free?
How? What profits are there? If you're gonna pick on RPM, what about the zip format? RTF format? The ASCII standard? I think we oughta put up a wall so that our air doesn't blow over there and give them oxygen. After all--we can't have our air being given to them for free, can we?
You see, Red Hat is the ancestor for at least 20 distributions. Meaning those 20 distros aren't mirror-images of RH, but based on it to a degree.
The one unifying thing about each of these distros is that they use Red Hat RPM management and tools. Thus, they are classified as being based on Red Hat. Red Flag was developed by the Chinese using Asianux as a core component and by using GPLed tools and source code that anyone building their own distro can use.
RHEL source is GPLed and made freely available to the masses, but the usable and supported form is available only to those who pay for it. White Box, which is an American distro, uses the GPLed Red Hat sources and developed it into a free Enterprise system based on RH's technology
Might I note that U.S. based Oracle has a 58% stake in the Korean partner in Asianux?
The truth is that you're fixed on the gratis (free as in beer), when we focus on the libre (free as in freedom).
Meaning that the significant numbers of us see open source moreso as being a movement towards freedom in development and usage, and not necessarily as in demanding all software to be priced as free.
Communism in practice is the absolute antithesis of freedom.
Therefore, You don't make any sense.
Simple, the Chinese didn't pay anything for it, but they can charge others for it. A great deal for the Chinese huh, no wonder they love it. Red Hat has no rights to stop them either, even though the Chinese use the Red Hat Package Manager, or anything else Red Hat developed, as much as they want, for free. Of course, to you, this is by design, so the system is working perfectly.
my pclinuxos is based on mandrake and mandrake came from red hat.
does that make me a china made communist?
and how are companies making money if this is communism?
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