Price for operating systems in LOS.

[kamui]

Says BritTim:

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Best solution: stick to open source solutions, like Linux and PostgresSQL, where you get the basic product for free and can buy your own local support according to your means.

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Good news for Asia, it seems that this plan will be a big threat to MS:

 

Japan Times

Japan has visions of Asian alternative to Windows OS

 

Japan hopes to develop new computer software in cooperation with China and South Korea to make Asian economies less dependent on Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system, government officials said Sunday.

The software would be built into computer servers and Internet-enabled appliances, such as next-generation cell phones, the officials said.

 

Computer worms have been attacking Windows recently, prompting government offices and major companies to reconsider their heavy dependence on the operating system.

 

Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Takeo Hiranuma will propose the plan to his Chinese and South Korean counterparts during talks Wednesday on the sidelines of an expanded meeting of trade ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Phnom Penh.

 

Japan has initiated private-sector studies on developing operating systems with the United States and European nations, but has never launched this kind of tieup with China and South Korea.

 

If the three countries agree on the plan, the governments will start full-fledged preparations with the participation of experts from telecom carriers and machinery equipment makers.

 

 

[adikgede]

Asian Nations Join to Fund Microsoft Alternatives

Asian Nations Join to Fund Microsoft Alternatives

By David Worthington, BetaNews

September 8th, 2003, 5:51 AM

 

 

Taking a sidestep away from international economic integration and an open economic framework, a group of Asian nations -- led by Japan -- has agreed to cooperate on a project to subsidize alternatives to Microsoft Windows.

 

Japanese Trade Minister Takeo Hirauma proposed the plan at a conference in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Thus far, China and South Korea have signed on in cooperation.

 

 

According to published reports, the plan pumps nearly 1 billion yen ($85.5 million US) into an open source software forum. Microsoft's most eminent rival Linux will be among one of many projects to benefit from governmental largesse. The forum's intended consequence is to saturate the market with Windows alternatives to trigger the anticipated affect on demand.

 

"The idea is to get existing non-Windows operating systems, such as Linux, to be more broadly used, rather than developing a totally new operating system," ministry official Takashi Kume told the Associated Press.

 

Consumer and enterprise electronic goods such as cameras, cell phones, GPS navigation systems, PCs and servers will be developed by technology partners sans Microsoft. Such a move means even Redmond's hallowed cash cow, Office, has its proverbial head on the block.

 

Fujitsu, NEC, Hitachi and Matsushita have already sprung into action, fronting the push for domestic product development.

 

However, the announcement is by no means the first attempt by a foreign government to scuttle Microsoft's dominance of the software industry. For instance, both German and Australian politicos have publicly pondered embracing open source projects.

 

In January 2000, officials in Beijing mandated adoption of Red Flag Linux in lieu of Windows. Red Flag is gaining momentum both at home and abroad, having struck partnership agreements with US technology powerhouses Hewlett-Packard and Oracle.

 

While Microsoft has yet to volley issues of fair trade, a spokesperson told BetaNews, "Like others in the commercial software industry, Microsoft's believes consumers and market forces, not government preferences should determine software selection and development."

 

Market share, pricing and licensing terms are not the only points of contention the Asian governments have with Microsoft. Increasingly sophisticated and widespread security attacks such as Slammer and the Blaster worm have ruffled feathers in numerous circles.

 

A South Korean civil rights organization went so far as to threaten litigation in the wake of the Blaster fiasco, claiming that Microsoft should be held accountable for defects in its code and a failure to avert its clients' losses.

 

In response to criticism as over security lapses, Microsoft instituted the Government Security Program in January to share source code and technical expertise with foreign governments. Since that time, Australia, Britain, Russia and the NATO military alliance have signed on.

 

"Microsoft enjoys a strong relationship with international governments and we look forward to helping them and others address their IT needs in a manner that delivers value to the government and its citizens," concluded a company spokesperson.

 

 

 

 

[BritTim]

Yes, this is interesting. I first saw news of this in a report by c|net about a week ago. Following this, slashdot picked it up and, as usual, generated a lot of comment.

 

Microsoft has reacted with a statement that they consider this unfair and we may well see action by the US government to try to quash it (much as threats of using Super 301 against Japan were used to quash the Tron desktop project back in 1989).

[adikgede]

boo hoo poor Micro Schaft. I guess they will howl about Mad Hatter if Sun ever goes anywhere with it. I don't really see how its anti-competitive for governments to develop an operating system that has already been developed. They are just afraid that people will learn that its easier to secure a unix-like workstation than a MS Windows one.