__/ [ Philip ] on Saturday 07 October 2006 00:45 \__
> Go to the last two paragraphs in the article.
>
> "In May, the US government, citing a potential security risk, stopped
> plans by the State Department to install 16,000 computers manufactured
> by the Chinese firm Lenovo.
>
> The government squashed the deal with Lenovo after US lawmakers raised
> opposition to the plan on national security grounds."
>
> I wonder what the SD's concerns were? That Lenova had bugged the BIOS or
> the Windows OS.
>
> When the RedStar Linux distro hits the streets, I think I'll pass.
>
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061006/tc_afp/uschinagovernment_061006184117
As long as the distribution is not delivered in binary form (also must care
to verify the compilation process and the compiler itself), you know you are
on top of things.
Let's also disspell a certain myth here. China moves to Linux not because it
wants to spread a Linux that spies on people. It just wants to shed off that
piece of software that spies on /its/ own people. There was a large move of
thousands of desktops to Linux some months ago. But that's just the tip of
the iceberg.
Linux does well in China.
http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/50004.html
Linux Set to Soar in China
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2006/06/03/2003311446
Government says all new PCs must be Linux-friendly
http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2006/01/a_big_step_for.html
"China has long been seen as a fertile ground for Linux and other open source
software. In a country where more than 90% of software in use is pirated, it
seems like a natural fit."
Red Flag Linux may be next on IBM's agenda
,----[ Quote ]
| Jollans also addressed a question about why IBM did not release its own
| Linux distribution several years ago.
|
| "We thought that if IBM was in the market as an 800-pound gorilla, it
| would have a negative effect on the Linux market. We won't do something
| that sets us against the community," he said.
`----
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2006/092206-red-flag-linux-may-be.html
China to produce $125 (Linux) PC
,----[ Quote ]
| A Chinese outfit is hoping to release a PC which will hit the shops with a
| price tag of $125.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=34355
China looks to open-source community for advice
,----[ Quote ]
| China is counting on senior members of the open-source community to
| help formulate policy ideas to promote open-source software, according
| to a local software executive.
|
| The China Open-Source Software Promotion Union (COPU), a government-backed
| industry group, has established a think tank comprised of 19 prominent
| open-source executives from overseas to develop a framework for better
| international cooperation.
`----
http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/05/18/78442_HNchinaopensource_1.html?source=rss&url=http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/05/18/78442_HNchinaopensource_1.html
,----[ Quote ]
| Many such vendors previously sold PCs with free operating systems such as
| Linux or none at all...
|
| Observers believe the Chinese vendors signed their deals with Microsoft
| in April under pressure from Beijing, which is trying to show it is
| making serious efforts to stamp out piracy -- a major complaint from
| many Western governments.
|
| In late March, the Chinese government went so far as to issue a
| decree requiring PC makers to install a licensed operating system on
| each machine before it left the factory.
`----
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060601/bs_nm/china_microsoft_dc
China's Linux Adoption Threat to Microsoft?
,----[ Quote ]
| Most recently, China has been placing their bets on Linux over Windows as
| the dominant OS for their needs. And one of the best examples of this on
| the desktop front would have to be with Turbolinux. The distribution has
| been so widely accepted by the Chinese that even HP has decided to begin
| selling PCs with the OS preinstalled for distribution. But it doesn't
| stop there. China has a distribution of its very own; you may know it as
| Red Flag Linux.
`----
http://www.osweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2249&Itemid=449
Lastly, it's worth pointing out thae the Chinese, German and French
governments (at the least) have complained about the back door that are
integrated into Windows.
FWIW:
http://schestowitz.com/Weblog/archives/2006/08/14/microsoft-us-spy/
http://schestowitz.com/Weblog/archives/2006/08/13/windows-us-government/
|
|
