Hello gremlin-ga
This is another very interesting question. Although I was not able to
come up with some hard numbers for you on how many people are using
open source software in India and China, even a cursory review shows
that open source is very big in Asia. Ive collected a few articles to
help you get started on scoping out the issues involved. If youre
interested in researching this subject further I think there will be
quite a lot of information available.
czh
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OPEN SOURCE INDIA
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http://www.freeos.com/projdetails/2/
Linux is a natural for India
Posted: ( 2003-01-29 12:14:17 EST by Prakash Advani )
Today India is a hot topic for discussion as far as Linux is
concerned. Many users around the world want to understand the mindset
of Indians regarding Linux. This article attempts to give some insight
to the market dynamics here, and how they make Linux a natural fit for
India.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?artid=24598339
OCTOBER 09, 2002 -- Open IT: Govt to rewrite source code in Linux
If the Chinese have IT, get it. The Indian government seems to be
taking a leaf out of China's operating system, and is planning a
countrywide drive to promote the open source operating system, Linux,
as the 'platform of choice' instead of 'proprietary' solutions. For
proprietory, read Microsoft, which controls over 90% of the desktop
software market.
.
According to IDC's figures for '00, Microsoft still controlled 94% of
the desktop software market and while Linux is expected to overtake
the number two Apple Mac OS by '03, it would still control less
than 4% of the market. In server software, it fares a little better
and is expected to control around 30% of the market by '03, according
to IDC. Linux, which has established itself in the server space, is an
open reliable OS that runs on virtually any platform and was developd
by Finnish technologist Linus Torvalds.
***** This is a fairly long article comparing Indias and Chinas
approaches to using open source software.
http://indlinux.org/
Welcome to the homepage of the Indian Linux Project. The goal of this
project is to create a Linux distribution that supports Indian
Languages from a GUI/Application level as well as Kernel level. This
Indianisation project will strive to bring the benefits of Information
Technology down to the Indian masses. We want to make technology
accessible to the majority of India that does not speak English.
http://www.corpwatch.org/news/PND.jsp?articleid=4859
November 14, 2002 -- India: Microsoft Giveaway Drowns Out Open-Source
Software Movement
BANGALORE, India -- Richard Stallman, the founder of the Free Software
Foundation, visited this information technology hub earlier this month
to try to persuade leaders that Microsoft and other purveyors of
proprietary software are poison.
By Wednesday, it was clear he wasn't winning.
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates had been handing out so many freebies to
India's federal and state governments in the last three days that talk
of open-source software had started annoying government officials.
http://www.zdnetindia.com/techzone/trends/stories/67447.html
Open source software: the way forward?
Companies are beginning to see open source software as a viable
alternative for the enterprise, according to a leading analyst.
Open source software has been garnering increased interest at an
enterprise level. Earlier this week MandrakeSoft announced it had
released the latest version of its Linux software, codenamed Dolphin.
***** The ZDNet India site is a great place to do some searching for
additional open source articles.
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OPEN SOURCE CHINA
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http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/1494881
November 5, 2002
China to be Stronghold for Open Source
The People's Republic of China is emerging as one of the world's
strongholds for the Linux operating system.
http://www.dialelectronics.com.au/articles/02/0c012402.asp
China takes to open source Linux
The People's Republic of China is emerging as one of the world's Open
Source Linux operating system strongholds in software development, a
new report has found.
The Evans Data 2002 Chinese Developer Survey, Vol. 2, released this
week, found that two-thirds of Chinese developers (65%) expect to
write an application for Linux in the next year.
In addition, close to half (44%) have already done so.
Completed last month, the research also revealed that intentions to
use Linux as a primary host OS next year are expected to increase by
175%.
Microsoft Fights Piracy, Open Source in China
Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) reportedly made a commitment to the Chinese
government Thursday that calls for a US$750 million investment in
China's software industry -- an industry plagued by piracy -- over a
three year period.
Carl Howe, research director at Forrester, told NewsFactor that,
besides tapping into a market of 1.2 billion people, Microsoft might
be fighting an invisible software enemy.
"Right now, China is a hotbed of open source development. And I think
Microsoft would like to make sure that not all the smart people will
go to what is to them the Dark Side," said Howe.
http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/linux/story/0,24330,3395670,00.html
China: The Republic of Linux
Learn more about how the open-source movement has captured the world's
most populated nation.
Microsoft's software has gained acceptance worldwide, but in China the
company is losing ground. The Chinese government has adopted Linux as
its operating system of choice, and is doing its part to promote Linux
and open-source software to the masses.
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SEARCH STRATEGY
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open source India
open source China |