Posted on 07/29/2007 5:03:21 PM PDT by Halfmanhalfamazing
Who remembers Red Flag Linux? Born during the dot-com boom and officially financed and adopted by the Chinese government, Red Flag Linux was supposed to be China’s answer for avoiding the double-team of Windows and Microsoft Office that dominates the rest of the world’s PCs. In some circles, the potential spread of Red Flag Linux in the world’s most populated nation was even hailed as a critical sign that Microsoft was not going to be able to spread its domination of the software market to the rest of the world.
However, Red Flag Linux has turned out to be little more than a key bargaining chip in a high stakes game of commerce between the Chinese government and the world’s largest software maker. Thanks to some major concessions on source code and a precipitous price drop, the Chinese government has now thoroughly embraced Windows and Office. And thanks to a major about-face in the way that it deals with piracy, Microsoft has also won over the Chinese people.
In April, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates took a victory lap in China, and Fortune magazine’s David Kirkpatrick went along for the ride, writing an account of the trip and an excellent synopsis of Microsoft’s rocky path to success in China in a piece called “How Microsoft conquered China - Or is it the other way around?”
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.techrepublic.com.com ...
The Chinese government is embracing it and most likely promoting it to it's people.
Therefore, they are communist.
The Chinese government ain’t much different than ours in some respect, as long as they get their cut they are happy.
Interesting isn't it? Things that Linux has, like low price and source code access, MS had to provide in order to be able to compete.
People are tired of being gouged.
No, this story isn't about Linux. Linux was used as a lever, but the story is about how Microsoft SOLD OUT TO THE CHINESE COMMUNISTS.
> ...at least Microsoft is working to make them pay something for it...
Oh really? Tell me, GE, just how much did the Chinese Communists pay Microsoft for the source code to Windows and Office? Give me the dollar figure, troll.
30 pieces of silver, maybe?
Then tell me why I, a patriotic, tax-paying American citizen, can't pay that amount and see the source code, and give it to all the software engineers in my company to "evaluate" and look for backdoors, like the Chinese Communists did? I'm willing to sign the same NDA, of course. Ha ha, the ChiComs use American business NDAs as toilet paper every day; this is no different.
How much, GE? Surely not just empty Communist promises. How many dollars? I'm thinking of taking up a collection.
And about that precipitous price drop for the Chinese Communists: Why the hell should I, a patriotic, tax-paying American citizen, have to pay full price for Microsoft's products, when Microsoft turns around and uses my money to subsidize the copies that go into Communist China? Microsoft gives away Windows and Office for $7-10 per copy, while I pay HUNDREDS! Student copies go for $3 in China; even the pirate copies aren't that low in the US!
Linux is not the issue or the topic here, troll. Microsoft's unprincipled giveaways to the Communists are the issue and the topic.
Take your hand out of Bill Gate's pocket long enough to realize that YOU DEFEND MICROSOFT EVEN WHEN THEY SELL OUT AMERICA. You show your true colors here, and your slavish devotion to Redmond disgusts me, not because it is about Microsoft, but because you reveal yourself to be totally without principle.
How many dollars did the Communists have to pay for the source code to Windows and Office?
I only want that dollar figure from you (or silver shekels, I can convert). Other than that, I'm done corresponding with you.
If you can't answer that question, then please just STFU, because you are not only without principle, you are also without a clue.
LMAO. It’s funny watching you meltdown since Microsoft is actually succeeding in selling software to China, rather than giving it to them for free to rename “Red Flag” as you and Red Hat prefer. Poor things LOL.
And I'm disgusted that you think this is about Linux. Stop fellating Bill Gates for a minute, and realize this is about Microsoft, so you ought to listen.
Get it? It's the sale price, stupid. If MS is happy giving away Windows to lying, murderous Communists, why can't honest Americans buy it at that same price? Where are MS's loyalties? Clearly, with the Communists.
Price-wise, I didn't think you had a clue, but thanks for confirming it. I can only conclude that actually reading other people's posts must be beyond your capabilities, so no more from me.
No need to write back, I'm done with you. Buh-bye, troll.
As the article said, they had to lower prices to help combat the free givaways of Linux going to China from Red Hat, which I’ve been criticizing for years, while Linux pumpers here constantly defended it. Now that Microsoft lowered their prices, and apparently captured the market (as it is clearly a better and more desirable platform with features such as compatibility with typical user applications), you’re somehow surprised? LOL get real, I’ve been telling you forever this was going to happen, the fact you live in some fantasy world where we all rely on some group of leftists to provide software welfare to the worlfd is the fault of your own.
What makes the Chinese market any different from the American market? Are you saying that people can't just get Red Hat (or other distribution) for free in the US?
Red Flag (based on the free copy of Red Hat given to the Chicomms) was a government standard there for some time, required by policy and/or law. Some in the US have attempted to pass rules here requiring open source too, but so far have thankfully fallen on their face. But China had long been seen by open source fanatics as their stepping stone to “total world domination” as Linus Torvalds puts it, but the latest info from web trackers such as the Net Applications and W3 Schools sites have actually shown Linux use DEcreasing as of late, and Apple and Vista growing instead.
No, MS fell for the oldest trick in the book. The Chicoms played around with Red Flag long enough to make Gates and Ballmer nervous enough to give away the American store. Clear as glass.
If Linux is so undesirable, why didn't MS just wait and let the Chicoms find out for themselves that it didn't work in practice? (Hint: maybe they knew it would have worked well enough for a poor/developing market that didn't already have a Windows jones.)
> Now that Microsoft lowered their prices, and apparently captured the market (as it is clearly a better and more desirable platform with features such as compatibility with typical user applications), you’re somehow surprised?
Of course not. That's how they've crushed every other competitor they couldn't buy outright.
The interesting time will be when MS gets tired of losing money hand over fist to the Communists, and tries to raise the price back to where they need it to be. That's when the Commies will haul out Red Flag again and threaten to drop Windows. Sure, Windows is more compatible with American user applications, but do you think the Chinese will buy American user applications if they have to pay real money for them? Hell no, they'll use the cheapest things they can get.
MS is in for a shock when they realize they don't have the Commies by the short hairs the way they do the American public.
> LOL get real, I’ve been telling you forever this was going to happen, the fact you live in some fantasy world where we all rely on some group of leftists to provide software welfare to the worlfd is the fault of your own.
You're the loony. I use Windows, Mac OSX, Linux, NetBSD, Solaris, whatever makes sense. I'm not sitting around waiting for RMS to stop blathering about politics, he's a loony too just like you, only hairier (I assume).
It's not about Linux, twit. It's about how Microsoft is selling out America to the Chinese Communists. The Chicoms hold all the cards, and they will ultimately hold Microsoft hostage, just like they now hold all of corporate America hostage because they offered cheap labor, and now own most of our production, tools, etc.
Wake up, GE. Your preciousssss Microsoft is stepping in Commie cowshit way over Ballmer's belly and up to Gate's aviator goggles. I hate to see an American company be so stupid. Especially when they're doing it with the money you and I paid for their products at full price.
Oh, wait, you probably get an employee discount....
Only as a response to linux, as the article clearly states. You can call me names all you want, but your public meltdown is perfect proof of who the loonie is. Moonie from planet linux is more like it, one day you'll maybe wake up and realize the Microsoft you so hate has just as many rights to your linux as anyone, you're only damaging the overall market not Microsoft. Better pony up another horse if you expect to ever take them down. And try an American original product and not some free foreign clone next time, maybe you won't find yourself suffering a mental breakdown in front of everyone again.
You should try actually reading what others post sometime.
"Try an American original product"???
I'm Freeping on my MacBook, which is sitting alongside my desktop WinXP box. All over both screens are xterms and RDPs to my BSD servers, Windows servers, two Linux servers, one XServe, and my MacOSX box at home. The MacBook is running another copy of XP in a VM.
If I were at home the situation would be essentially identical, except for a Linux box and two additional Windows boxes I have at home that I'm not RDP'ed into at the moment.
I use whatever makes sense for the application. I didn't break down or melt down. You're the one with the psychological issues. Give up your inverted love affair with Open Source, man. Your hard-on for Linux makes you sound imbecilic.
More importantly, it makes you BORING. Bye.
How many times you going to call me a name and then say bye? My criticism of Linux has proven founded, you gave free technology to communists and forced US companies including Unix companies like Sun to lower their prices and open access to their source code to compete, then still whined when they adapted and took back the market. You also suffered a mental breakdown when discusing it so it’s clear where your allegiance lies.
When you get tired of being bored, there is an anti-troll greasemonkey script for Firefox that will make your Freeping more pleasant. I've added 3 trolls to my killfile, and I've found FR a much more pleasant place. Depending upon which version you use, you will either see nothing the troll posts at all, or something similar to this...
All posts by known troll {troll name} have been Blocked, to view posts by this person you must edit the FRTrollBlocker.user.js file.
Personally, I prefer the latter. If you'd like to try it out, I can forward you to the author.
I think I've got the link, though I'll check back if I run into a wall.
Thanks! - dayglored
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