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China Banning Win2k

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the strictly-forbidden dept.

Several people have submitted links to several stories about China banning the use of Win2k in government to encourage indigenous software. Here is a story from The San Jose Mercury, and one from South China Ministry. They will instead be required to use Red Flag Linux, which is being developed by Chinese Researchers.

4 of 407 comments (clear)

  1. Second time around by jd · · Score: 5
    Ok, this rumour seems to be persisting. Last time, there were unconfirmed reports that China would force everyone to use Linux, because of it's perceived political stance, IIRC.

    This time, Windows 2000 is to be banned, and "Red Flag Linux" is to be given to every computer user in China. (This would make Linux the number #2 OS in the world, by dint of China having more than 50% of the world's population.)

    However, I can see a number of key problems with this story. "Red Flag" seems suspiciously similar to "Red Hat", and looks more like a student's play on words than a real product.

    Then, there's the "banning" of Windows 2000. Why ban one Microsoft OS and no other? That doesn't make sense. If Linux is to be mandatory, it would make more sense to ban -ALL- other OS', at least those which could seriously threaten Linux' use. But, no, it's only a product which isn't even available yet which is being "banned".

    I'm going to put this in the "I'll believe it if I see it" file, also known as the "Z" file. (It's at least two orders of magnitude less probable than "X" files, and you can fall asleep waiting for anything to happen.)

    --
    It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
  2. Reports are False! by RocketJeff · · Score: 5
    As many have already suspected, this is yet another 'Linux in China' hoax post. There is a story from Reuters (on my.netscape.com) about Microsoft Under New Media Attack in China that seems to clear this up.

    It basically says that both Microsoft and the Govt of China both deny the story and that the newspaper (in China) that originally reported it has no evidence for the policy.

  3. Chinese Government doesn't necessarily agree by devphil · · Score: 5

    For those of you who are posting kneejerk reactions without reading the article:


    Officials at several government ministries said they were unaware of such a policy.


    The story is posted by a Chinese newspaper, and we all know how informed our own media is... Maybe it's true; I'll believe it when I see it, that's all.


    --
    You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)
  4. Do you really think... by Misericorde · · Score: 5

    I expect much of /.'s community to jump on this with a malicious glee in their eyes, hanging burning Bill Gates dolls and praising Red China for embracing Linux and all that it represents. Remember, "all that it represents", which also means open-sourcing. Do you actually think that China will openly and without any barriers open-source Red Flag Linux? The same country that killed thousands of students at Tienanmen, the same country that suppresed a whole culture (Tibet), the same country that just sent a few dissidents to jail for being part of nothing more than their equivalent of the Rotary club. China is a closed-source country. They're using Linux because it's an open-source OS that they can tweak at will, make it their own. They couldn't do that with Windows2000. So they'll get their own OS, but will I be able to order Red Flag? Will the world be able to see what Chinese coders can do with it? Think again.