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Japan Takes A Look At Open Source Software

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the c'mon-everybody's-doing-it dept.

irish_spic writes " Accorting to this AP story (in yahoo news), the public management ministry is setting up a panel of scholars and computer experts, including Microsoft officials in order to study the use of Open Source software in the government. The article cites concerns about costs and security as the reason for the study. Me wonders if they are serious or just trying to get discounts from MS."

2 of 298 comments (clear)

  1. Simple comparison by mao+che+minh · · Score: 5, Interesting
    The Japanese are very reasonable and straight forward thinkers.

    Microsoft: expensive, slow development for fixes, laughed-at-by-main-stream-media security, closed source - which further stifles development, foreign, you support a monopoly

    Linux: cheap or free, rapid and constant development and bug fixes, industry reknowned security, open source, it is "yours" once you embrace it, you support a grass roots movement of heart felt computer users and developers

    It doesn't take a genius to figure this one out.

  2. 16 Months time by Alain+Williams · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Did you notice the finish date for the study? March 2004, yes 2004 not 2003! It is not as if it is a big study - only $410,000.

    Governments when faced with something that they don't like often make it go away by commissioning a study, by the time that it comes out the fuss has died down and everyone has forgotten about it. I hope that that is not what is happening here. If that is the case, this is one 'fuss' where events will overtake the report.