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So it seems that the new minister has a project to work on! The web site for his ministry serves up PHP, and according to Netcraft, their web server is running Apache on Linux.

<tongue-in-cheek>The ministry's site seems to be serving up content pretty well, though... Maybe it can limp along with open source.</tongue-in-cheek>

From Thailand, LinuxTLE 5.5.92 features Linux kernel 2.6.9, GCC 3.4.2, X.Org 6.8.1, GNOME 2.8.1, KDE 3.3.1 and Firefox 0.10.1. Download CD1, CD2 and CD3 or download the DVD.

From Thailand, LinuxTLE 5.5.92 features Linux kernel 2.6.9, GCC 3.4.2, X.Org 6.8.1, GNOME 2.8.1, KDE 3.3.1 and Firefox 0.10.1. Download CD1, CD2 and CD3 or download the DVD.

From Thailand, LinuxTLE 5.5.92 features Linux kernel 2.6.9, GCC 3.4.2, X.Org 6.8.1, GNOME 2.8.1, KDE 3.3.1 and Firefox 0.10.1. Download CD1, CD2 and CD3 or download the DVD.

From Thailand, LinuxTLE 5.5.92 features Linux kernel 2.6.9, GCC 3.4.2, X.Org 6.8.1, GNOME 2.8.1, KDE 3.3.1 and Firefox 0.10.1. Download CD1, CD2 and CD3 or download the DVD.

I know that you were joking, but I am going to respond to the quote. The rest of the third world is not waiting and taking notes. Asia has many meetings between the coutnries' respective organizations similar to NECTEC to has out a unified Asian strategy on things like open source software.

Thailand (which I know more about than the other countries), has had government supported open source for many years, including creating SIS (a Linux distro for use as an internet gateway in schools) and the necessary free internet access for the schools using it. They are on version 4.X now, and the program is at least six years old.
The Thai gov't also supports low cost computing initiatives from the Ministry of ICT, with full computers running about 11,000 Baht (~US$270), easily financed through the government bank with little hassle.
To say that other nations are resting on their butts and watching India is a little insulting, don't you think?

Ah yes, the GIF patent. That stopped any free software using GIFs.

The MP3 patent's licensing terms don't even prohibit legal Free Software implementations - you pay a one-off licensing fee, and you're fine. There seem seem to be plenty.

The reality is, those patents haven't killed MP3 or GIFs. If anything, it's Ogg Vorbis and PNGs which are an endangered species - not from litigation, but disuse. (The MP3 patent, by the way, is Fraunhofer's - a German group, not US.) Patents or no patents, MP3 and GIF are still the format for that application, and supported by plenty of free/open source programs.

So the future for free software is (and this would be fine with me, except that it doesn't promote either fair use or interoperability) a ghetto of free formats like Ogg.

Unlikely. As I said, we've had MP3 and GIF patents for years without this result - the former from a German company, not a US one - without the result you predict. Why would Europe adopting the US system have this result, when it hasn't happened in the US?

This wouldn't be Thailand, would it? There are several reasons why that would be so... mostly it's goverment policy.

Anyone who has been here for a long time has seen my posts about Thailand, but I'll summarize what's happening here, and it's big.
You see linux desktops and laptops in almost every computer store. All top five domestic brands, including Belta Liberta and Laser ( I can't find a link), use it for their lower models. It is always the same, the National Electronics and Computer Technology (NECTEC) organization of Thailand's own Linux TLE, a Red Hat based distibution that has had Thai language support and translations added to virtually every application.
Since November,the new releases come with version 4.1R2, which is touted as "Professional," and includes OfficeTLE, an OO.o variant which includes such difficult to program features as a Thai word parser, because Thai uses no spaces between words. It, in my opinion, outshines Sun's Pladao Office, which translates as "Starfish." The menus for Pladao are all in Thai, but the OfficeTLE menus are in English. Books for both litter the bookstore shelves in prominant places.
NECTEC also has a venerable serverdistribution, SIS (can't find the link), which stands for School Internet Server, and connects primary, secondary, and tertiary(?) schools to their SchoolNet, a free internet and information sharing operation.
Free Software is kicking here in Thailand.
For other perks, see my sig.

Linux SIS objective is for primary & secondary school to have internet access for education, SchoolNet Project. NECTEC provide internet account for them. All they need is old PC with modem & telephone line for dialup. Everything can control via Webmin. Anyway this distro objective is only for Thai people. All interfaces are translate to Thai. Linux SIS 4.2 based on Red Hat 7.2

Total international bandwidth of August, 2000 = 228.25 Mbps

It may be the third world, but we do surf in English too, and gee, sometimes we even SPEAK english! Wow! The most popular destination for Thai surfers is still Yahoo.

I hope they weren't paying you as an internet consultant.