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Intel Helping Asia to Use Linux
sameerdesai writes "Seattletimes is carying this story on Intel helping major countries like China and India to help build Linux machines as an alternative to Microsoft Windows. It definitely looks like both Microsoft and Intel are using the big potential market in Asia to establish a foothold. Microsoft is using its scare tactics to warn of possible lawsuits because Linux violates about 228 patents. What do fellow slashdotters think on trends of OS and hardware in Asia will be?"
Linux SUPPOSEDLY violates 228 patents. According to Microsoft. Talk about ass-backwards wording.
"[A] high IQ is like a Jeep; you will still get stuck, just farther from help!" --Just d' FAQs, c.g.a
While it's true that many of the "tech support" jobs that have been outsourced to Asia have been windows-specific, it may well be the case that Intel is focusing more on its potential for servers which are not, or should not (generally) be Microsoft based. so they may seem more willing to work with hardware issues and opening up a broader market for increasing their presence on *nix based servers? Just a thought.
--- There is a man in a smiling bag.
How long do you reckon MS will let Intel get away with something like this for, before threatening to (e.g.) make a statement that Windows runs better on AMD processors?
Those would be American patents, right? As in patents that have no legal significance outside America? And we're talking about China and India, right?
Yeah. That's what I thought.
It's my understanding that pirate copies of Windows are pretty widely available in Asia. This may, in somewhat of an ironic twist, actually end up hurting implementation of Linux-if you can get a copy of "Windows" for near-free, it may actually discourage people from adapting an open-source solution.
To fight the war on terror, stop being afraid.
Besides that:
these are AMERICAN patents.
such patents can only be enforced in the US.
AFAIK asia does not even recognise software patents, let alone american ones
If an experiment works, something has gone wrong.
"So, is it a fact or not? Proof it or shut up :-P"
I think you'd be a good deal happier if MS didn't prove it. In all seriousness, it's very possible Linux and related software can violate a patent or 3. Before you mod me down consider a few things:
1.) MS holds a lot of patents, valid or not.
2.) It's unlikely that authors of FOSS software run a patent search for every feature they implement.
3.) MS can easily make ready a team of lawyers to make a case out of just about anything.
4.) Linux doesn't have a whole lot to fight back with.
I don't mean this to be insulting, but I seriously doubt Linux is squeaky clean. I in no way mean to imply immoral intent, but there are so many patents and so many lines of code. It would not be good if MS were to attempt to 'prove' it.
"Derp de derp."
StrayByte.Net
I heard some comment that Microsoft were turning to the WTO to enforce the notion of intellectual property in countries who do not recognise it, so that they can protect their patent portfolio. This ends up another misuse of the WTO to further the financial ends of the 'haves' at the expense of the 'have nots'.
Write to your government, etc. IDNHSC.
The argument from Microsoft though, is that as people sign up to Free Trade agreements, or are forced to sign up to certain WTO treaties, they _HAVE_ to care about american IP, and they _HAVE_ to enforce it.
This is one of the reasons that India is no longer allowed to manufacture generic versions of certain drugs anymore, despite the fact that these were saving lives daily!
And to preempt the responses, what are the FOSS solutions to this problem? I hear chinese language support in linux is coming along. But what about the input issue?
One the one hand, your post is naive in thinking that Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and other languages depend on Roman 26-letter alphabets for input. They do not. Each language has developed its own keyboard. Users can either use that keyboard or switch to Roman letters (usually with a dedicated key, or shift-space for a US keyboard).
On the other hand, you are correct that input is lagging for Chinese and Japanese input. There are some very very sophisticated apps to determine what one types becomes coherent kanji (chinese characters used in Chinese, Japanese, and sometimes in Korean). Windows has this issue largely under control, but FOSS is lagging behind.
Theoretically this is getting better, quickly. OpenAsia.org will post an article on this very topic very soon.
davejenkins.com |
The reason for MS to help pirating its own software is the price. While a typical Chinese family in Shanghai earns RMB4000, or US$500, a month. A copy of MS WinXP Home OEM(supposedly cheaper than non-OEM, the reason why OEM is for retail is beyond me) is labeled RMB 880http://www.federal.com.cn/shop/game/productintr oduce.asp?productno=10ABBMIC343, or about US$100. That's about one fifth of the family's income. And MS Office 2003 Standard Chinese Simplified costs RMB3000http://www.federal.com.cn/shop/soft/product introduce.asp?productno=10CBEMIC382, or US$370. These prices are from an online retailer. They used to be much higher when people earns much less in the mid-90s. Paying a month's earning for only the basic operating system sounds just insane. But this was, and largely still the case in China if you want to stay with MS leagally. And there is no alternative to MS, since MS has virtually destroyed everyone who dare to challenge them by every means possible, including promoting pirates.
I know Microsoft's practices are the same globaly, but it is extremely effective in locking in users of developing countries like China. Unlike the west, there was virtually no base of unix users. To most people, computer = PC = Windows. The shortage of unix gurus makes Linux extremely hard to approach in the early days.
Now the situation has changed somehow, but language barrier still exists. Good linux documentation and forums are almost all in English or more obscure languages to a common Chinese. One has to be fluent in English to master Linux. There're not many people can do so, even among the youth. Translation helps, but not much, partly because of the quality. The community-driven model itself demands users and developers to communicate in common language, and the core developers are, inevitably, mostly English speaking or prefer to communicate in English.
Having said that, I still believe Linux is the way to go for Chinese, not for some national security reasons, but the freedom and openness.
People who dislike China tend to mention Tiananmen Square a lot, but they always forget the Tank Man is also a Chinese.
If a company is based around training and services then it shouldn't matter much how many copies are stollen. It should actually help. Example: You can download and use NXServer/Client for free, but if you are looking to run an office on it, your going to need their help. Same with Redhat. Most installations go smooth (a credit to their product) but if your doing something on an enterprise scale you want the comfort of knowing that you can blame the folks in the fedora, and they WILL fix your problems as they come up.
.... .... uh the Congo is nice this time of year isn't it?
Since small jobs don't require much support it allows service companies to ignore the nickle and dime stuff and focus on the high rollers. So steel it all you like, your just increasing the number of people who are comfortable with the product, and decreasing the cost of finding good employees.
Of couse RH and Novel will need to find tech support workers who can cost effectively service India and China....
I would rather be ashes than dust!
The slashdot community seems to have a love-hate relationship with Intel. We want to see AMD overcome Intel in the processor wars. But then we solute Intel for it's interest in Linux, and bash AMD for it's cozyness with Microsoft.
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Reagrdless, these are countries that show little concern for patents, licenses, or copyrights.
Do you think a guy who is using a priated version of windows really care if linux might have patent issues.
----- If communism is a system where the government owns business, what do you call a system where business owns govern
such patents can only be enforced in the US. ...which kills development on the project in the US, quite possibly killing the project outright at least until someone in another country picks it up. It'll also potentially decimate any support for the project. Both of those things would change it from something you *could* support yourself, to something you *must* support yourself; that threat alone may be enough to scare businesses away.
It's official. Most of you are morons.