Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Linux Continues March On China

Posted by timothy on from the that-many-elvis-fans-can't-be-wrong dept.

elucidus writes: "A government-sponsored software development group in China unveiled a version of the Linux operating system it has developed that it said will eventually replace Windows and Unix on all of its government PCs and servers. Called Yangfan Linux, which means 'raise the sail' in Chinese, the open source operating system is being pieced together by the Beijing Software Industry Productivity Center, a group established by the government to organize Linux development in China." Update: 08/14 22:34 GMT by T : Note that the story from which this text is drawn originally appeared in InfoWorld; thanks to writer Matt Berger for pointing this out. Read on below for a bit more, and some interesting links.

"The source code for Yangfan was made available last week under the GNU General Public License. The group is now collecting feedback and will continue improving the operating system.

The group has also done significant work localizing the operating system to support Chinese-language characters, which will be contributed back into the Linux community, according to Jon 'Maddog' Hall, director of Linux International.

Yangfan is based on two distributions of the Linux operating system. One is the distribution developed by Chinese Linux vendor Red Flag Software. The second is a version of the operating system called Cosix Linux, developed by China Computer Software Corp."

Reader kchris59 points to these articles at The Screen Savers and at chinadaily.com.cn which provide some more insight on what's going on behind that firewall.

3 of 371 comments (clear)

  1. Supporting Chinese characters by jonasj · · Score: 2, Redundant
    The group has also done significant work localizing the operating system to support Chinese-language characters, which will be contributed back into the Linux community
    Uhm, why does Linux need to be localized to support Chinese characters? Doesn't the thing use Unicode?
    --
    You know, Microsoft's street address also says a lot about their mentality.
  2. Stupid mods by oliverthered · · Score: 2, Redundant

    Why is the parent flamebate?

    Personally I would call opensource, P2P networks &co comunist.

    DMCA and all the RIAA lobying is capatilist.

    If you don't believe me then lookup what the words comunist and capatilist mean and go and read the communist manifesto

    Moding as flame-bate is the only flame here.

    --
    thank God the internet isn't a human right.
  3. Microsoft should be Happy! by splume · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Because there will be *MUCH* less piracy of Windows and Windows based software! :)

    --

    Who is John Galt?