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Korea Plans to Choose Linux City, University
thefirelane wrote to mention an ambitious plan in the works by the South Korean government. Work is underway to choose a city, which will become a place where open-source software will become the mainstream operating system. From the article: "The selected government and university will be required to install open-source software as a main operating infrastructure, for which the MIC will support with funds and technologies. In the long run, they will have to migrate most of their desktop and notebook computers away from the Windows program of Microsoft, the world's biggest maker of software. 'The test beds will prompt other cities and universities to follow suit through the showcasing of Linux as the major operating system without any technical glitches and security issues,' Lee said. "
Personally I don't understand why universities and schools all over the world aren't switching all their desktops to Linux. How many billions of taxpayers money is being spent on Microsoft software that could be better spent elsewhere?
It's only the past few years that Windows has started to take over UNIX use in universities, certainly from my experience in the UK. Linux was used by many during this when it arrived over a decade ago, along with many who stuck with all the other UNIX flavours, I can't believe people who are new to this (7years experience with Linux) don't spot the same trends. Actions like this are far too little too late, the war was won a long time and ago and what's needed is a cleverly crafted resistance movement not pretending Linux is new and starting to make inroads.
n/t
That's quite a big step, and seeing it actually taken (by politicians of all people!) warms this old jaded heart. Assuming all goes well, this is going to serve as one hell of a shining example for the OSS community.
Now, cue the distro wars...
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Since when is forcing adoption the right thing to do? Is this forced switch really in the best interest of the students? What applications might they have to give up that don't have the equivelent in the open source world.
That is no better than MS forcing their software upon anyone they can. Not because it's necessarily better but because they can.
The selected government and university will be required to install open-source software as a main operating infrastructure, for which the MIC will support with funds and technologies.
I thought the spirit of FOSS [or at least of /.] was supposed to be: USE THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB!!!
So what if M$FT Windows and M$FT Office ARE the right tools for the job? [Gasp! Horrors!! Oh the Humanity!!!]
How then would it be helping people to shove the wrong tool down their throats?
Yeah, yeah, bring it on: -1 Troll/Flamebait blah blah blah...
Asian girls and Linux? Where do I sign up? WHERE?!?
showcasing of Linux as the major operating system without any technical glitches
Linux? No technical glitches? And he already proclaims this before the trial?
Boy, is he in for a shock...
Disclosure: I love Linux (for servers) and wouldn't choose anything else. But I sure have seen my share of "glitches"!
It should be all about choice, about what tool is the best for the job. Not about mandatory use of certain operating systems for perhaps totally unsuitable tasks.
I say if Microsoft is the answer to the question, it must have been a stupid question. Go Linux!! :-)
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Don't they know they will be missing out on all the free software you get when you plug a Win PC into the Net? ;-)
I lost my sig...
institutions volontarily sign up for this program, no one is forcing them (of course they do get a bunch of funding for it)
From TFA (yes, I actually read it!):
``We will start to receive applications next week. After screening candidate cities and universities, the test beds are likely to be decided by late March, MIC director Lee Do-kyu said.
I know it's unfashionable to RTFA, but it says that they will be accepting applications from municipalities and universities that are interested in being the project test sites, and that a lot of people have shown interest. So, yes, if they put in an application to be the test site for open-source software, and are chosen, they will be forced to live up to their commitments. Actually, sounds pretty congruent with OSS values to me.
Actually, in Korea, everybody uses Windows. The article claims that the desktop penetration is 1%, as opposed to the 3% globally. I, myself, have never met anyone who uses it besides myself, and people whom I mention it to give me confused looks. Hangul Office puts out a version of Linux (I think they just merged with Asianux), but it's given away for free in computer stores and still gathers dust.
Great timing for the article: I'll start looking for a new job here the end of next month, and will certainly put in a resume at the university chosen by ROK.
Put identity in the browser.
Exactly, at my university, students who are Computer Science majors are taught how to use Linux in the first few weeks of our Introduction to Computer Science I course. It's not like Linux == Rocket Science...
Ryan - http://www.thecosmotron.com/
The test beds will prompt other cities and universities to follow suit through the showcasing of Linux as the major operating system without any technical glitches and security issues.
Waaiiiit a minute. Be careful S. Korea. While some would say Linux is "better" than Windows, nobody said it was perfect. No techinical glitches and no security issues, IMPOSSIBLE.
"I reject your reality, and substitute my own!"
they will have to migrate most of their desktop and notebook computers away from the Windows program of Microsoft, the world's biggest maker of software
Calling Windows a "program" is a bit of an understatement. Remind me again how many gigabytes a minimal install of that program requires, and what OS it runs on. :)
That's because everybody is also play Starcraft.
Look, IT departments, governments, managers who sit whacking off in cubicles all day make this choice every single day, regardless of what flavor or company they cater to. Be it MS, Linux, Mac, etc, etc.
It's rarely decided by the majority of the users, but done on a cost/benefit analysis..or through lobbying.
As it stands right now, most of the public schools in america (and a good many private ones.. from K- Uni)push Microsoft, Dell, Apple, etc. and at times this wasn't what was best for the job, but the lobbying and bidding of corporations who get thier foot in the door. Linux doesn't have many lobbyists if any, FOSS really doesn't either. There's some organizations out there that promote it, but that's really about it.
Linux and FOSS has the flexibility to do any job MS or Apple can do. No.. you might not be running the exact piece of software that you want, but guess what. YOu can get by. If i REALLY wanted to use GNU Cash, or Scribus, or Dia, (as a professor) would an IT dept be as swift to get me a linux machine? If i went and complained to it
Bottom line is, this can do the job, and it saves tax payers in the long run. Using linux, makes people a bit more tech savy too. You begin to define things as.. a web browser.. vs the "little blue E". It's a word processor, not Word. You begin to understand basic security principles..like not running with admin rights all day every day. You begin to understand that programs are nothing more than a collection of files and how to manipulate that to your advantage rather than the ol' EXE and following wizard dependency.
I can't begin to tell you how pissed off i stay for my local, state, and federal government to pay what they do for each copy of MS Office just so the majority of dipshits in the world can use Fax and Memo templates all day. Or Copies of Windows so someone can just have web and email access. From a business standpoint, it's just fiscally wasteful. And that doesn't even touch the security and stability issues.
when you see uk goverment wants a backdoor into windows ( the US goverment probably has one already)_ collaborating_with_us_spymasters/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/1999/09/05/microsoft
(not an ideal link)
It sure makes sense for korea to prefer to use something which is secure from foreign prying eyes.
South Korea is taking an obvious first step in removing a dependence on Microsofts operating systems. Why should they not want to reduce the flow of money out of their country by developing a free workable alternative. Linux isn't a perfect windows replacement yet however if the south koreans address the issues as it finds them. It seems reasonable they will develop a fully rounded version of linux that can go onto remove microsofts grip on south korea's infrastructure.
The really good news is if it works for them then it could work for the rest of the world too.
If you look at trusted computing microsoft is being trusted and why should anyone expect that between microsoft and the US goverment they can be trusted with the IP of another competing nation.
I am not being anti US here if you gave the keys to the worlds collective IP to any nation its a foregone conclusion that nation will use it to its own advantage.
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As the Softies are quick to point out, purchase costs are small parts of TCO. All the free beer in the world won't make up for time wasted on daily anti-virus runs, difficult place keeping due to short run times and an inadequate GUI. Even with co-operation of other M$ partners, the environment is hardly "abundant" and the complexities of non-free licensing take their toll. Microsoft, as much as they try, can not be all things to all people so everyone has half a dozen "third party" applications that have to be acquired, licensed and installed. Those installs, even when they don't disable other required programs, are notorious for their complexity and fragility. Just when you think you have what you need, the upgrade train or a worm comes along and wipes it all out. All of the above sucks life in a way that free software never will and the difference in costs and hassle will only grow as free software continues to improve. So, free beer is no longer good enough.
The only thing Microsoft has going for it is an aging, irrational fan base. They created that base with gifts and propaganda, but no propaganda will make up for their performance short falls. The free software model has proved itself again and again. The word is getting out.
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
There is a difference between a glitch and an all out crash! Though I
This also wasn't meant as a competition between Windows and Linux; I prefer OS X on the desktop. All the power of a unix (great for development) with a good looking gui that is more stable than Windows and more managable than all the Linux desktops I tried. ("things just work" isn't just a marketing slogan, I can testify) The only thing affecting my uptime there are updates that require a restart. (one every month, maybe)
But it is a premium over a dirt cheap Dell or home built box running Linux, for sure.
No per seat fees and you get the source. Who actually benefits? It is not much use to a sole trader. He cannot spare the time to fix bugs and recompile, and he is only saving one license fee.
On the other hand, you only have to fix a bug once. A large company can employ a few free software programmers to take advantage of access to the source. They can compare the costs to what they save on license fees. If they are big enough, they are bound to come out ahead.
It is completely natural for heads of large organisations and governments to want to force through the adoption of free software, for it is at the top of the organisation that per seat license fees are agregated and compared to the once per organisation costs of hiring your own experts.
* Possible Chamber of Commerce Video Dialog *
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