Slashdot Mirror
North Korea's Own OS, Red Star
klaasb writes "North Korea's self-developed computer operating system, named 'Red Star,' was brought to light for the first time by a Russian satellite broadcaster yesterday. North Korea's top IT experts began developing the Red Star in 2006, but its composition and operation mechanisms were unknown until the internet version of the Russia Today TV program featured the system, citing the blog of a Russian student who goes to the Kim Il-sung University in Pyongyang."
Does it count as fulfilling the obligations required by the GPL if you make your source code freely available and downloadable but your entire country is behind a firewall and no one can access it? :)
"The first time I got drunk, I got married. The second time I bought a chimpanzee, after that I stayed sober" Arian Seid
Ironic how super-strict North Korea uses Free Software, while South Korea is totally in thrall to Microsoft.
I suffer from attention surplus disorder.
Does it count as fulfilling the obligations required by the GPL if you make your source code freely available and downloadable but your entire country is behind a firewall and no one can access it? :)
Most of North Korea doesn't even have electricity. I'm not sure they need a firewall.
Putting moderation advice in your
It is just the smart thing to do. I expect more nations to switch to Linux as their desktop operating system to save the dependency on "Red Mond". I mean, monoculture is dangerous for their national security. Linux is very strong in Latin nations for egovernment purposes. The nation to switch first is able to create a very sustainable Linux eco system and it is able to get the Microsoft political benefits as well. Win!
OTOH, we're free to copy anything coming from North Korea as well. Not quite sure how much is worth copying.
Our govt is desperately copying their civil rights laws...
Some of our corporate-govt propaganda is about as bad as their govt propaganda...
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
and I cannot stop myself of thinking - this russian student in NK that revealed the secret to the evil world - what happens to this poor soul? I mean either he was f.g silly, the regime told him to do it or the regime is already falling apart and everybody (in NK) can see it. Well I personally opt for silliness.
We have a greater percentage of our population in prison than North Korea does.
Their entire country is a prison.
Yeah, and I'm sure that the cars in N. Korea have a wheel to steer, pedals on the floor for accelerator, clutch and brake, and a lever to shift gears... Just like a Chevy.
So what?
Ya, executions do tend to keep the prisoner count low...
Life is not for the lazy.
Does it count as fulfilling the obligations required by the GPL if you make your source code freely available and downloadable but your entire country is behind a firewall and no one can access it? :)
Since North Korea is a sovereign nation, I dont think that they have to abide by US copyright laws...
In N. Korea, you don't operate system; system operates YOU.
Python: 'And then suddenly you have a language which says "we're all stuck with whatever the whiniest coder wants".'
Really? How do you know? Most lists I've seen of imprisonment rates have the US with the highest listed, but North Korea with no information, because most are based on government reports and/or reliable NGOs, and North Korea doesn't report data or provide the kind of access from which NGOs could produce anything like a reasonable estimate.
Rather that than the enterprise controlling government with an iron fist, like where I live.