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North Korea's Own OS, Red Star

Posted by timothy on from the linux-is-sometimes-for-communists dept.

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."

25 of 316 comments (clear)

  1. 2010: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The year of the linux desktop has finally come, to North Korea.

    1. Re:2010: by sopssa · · Score: 5, Interesting

      And they still had to make it look like Windows:

      The Red Star is based on Linux, a free and open software operating system, but looks a lot like the Microsoft Windows on display. It also has a similar user interface.

      The desktop display of Red Star is almost identical to that of MS Windows.

      A Red Star logo is shown on the lower left corner of the screen where MS Windows has a start button. It has most of the basic MS Windows icons such as a Trash Bin and My Computer. Only, the names of the icons are slightly different from the Korean version of MS Windows.

      Application programs such as a Web browser and a word processor which also resemble MS products come in separate discs.

    2. Re:2010: by aztektum · · Score: 5, Funny

      Shouldn't it be GNU/Red Star Linux?

      --
      :: aztek ::
      No sig for you!!
    3. Re:2010: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      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?

    4. Re:2010: by interval1066 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      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".'
  2. The unanswered question... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is that a 2-bit or 8-bit operating system?

    1. Re:The unanswered question... by absurdist · · Score: 5, Funny

      An 8-bit operating system for a 2-bit country?

  3. Re:So, when by Michael+Kristopeit · · Score: 5, Funny

    ICBM

  4. I might have had something to say but... by maeka · · Score: 5, Funny

    The article in its entirety:
    Russian student back from North Korea had purchased a $5 OS disc and a $10 application disc. Based on Linux, looks like Korean version of Windows.

    Nothing else.

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    crickets

    1. Re:I might have had something to say but... by maeka · · Score: 5, Informative

      Ahh Ha!
      An actual article exists!
      With photos!
      http://rt.com/Top_News/2010-03-01/north-korea-cyber-weapon.html?fullstory

    2. Re:I might have had something to say but... by bertok · · Score: 5, Insightful

      We have a greater percentage of our population in prison than North Korea does.

      Their entire country is a prison.

    3. Re:I might have had something to say but... by DigiShaman · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Ya, executions do tend to keep the prisoner count low...

      --
      Life is not for the lazy.
  5. Re:GPL by Phrogman · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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
  6. Ironic by orkysoft · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Ironic how super-strict North Korea uses Free Software, while South Korea is totally in thrall to Microsoft.

    --

    I suffer from attention surplus disorder.
    1. Re:Ironic by maxwell+demon · · Score: 5, Funny

      Well, they both fell for the propaganda that Free Software is communist.

      --
      The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
  7. A firewall is the least of the problems by name_already_taken · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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 .sig lowers your karma!
    1. Re:A firewall is the least of the problems by ArsonSmith · · Score: 5, Interesting

      http://geology.com/articles/night-satellite/satellite-photo-of-asia-at-night.jpg actually shows this best.

      The bright portion of the peninsula just west of Japan is South Korea, the dark spot between it and the main land is North Korea.

      --
      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
    2. Re:A firewall is the least of the problems by PCM2 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Are they really that fucked?

      There are "bright spots" visible by satellite within North Korea. They are believed to correspond to enclaves of the wealthy elites. What's that you ask? How can they have "wealthy elites" within a Marxist utopian state? You may be nearing an answer to your own question.

      --
      Breakfast served all day!
  8. Glorious Leader has truly given us a blessing by Kyru · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm surprised there isn't a press release telling us Kim Jong-Il programmed the majority of the OS himself in his spare time, it is the type of thing the Glorious Leader usually does.

    1. Re:Glorious Leader has truly given us a blessing by damn_registrars · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'm surprised there isn't a press release telling us Kim Jong-Il programmed the majority of the OS himself in his spare time, it is the type of thing the Glorious Leader usually does.

      Only the majority? You don't seem to know Kim Jong-Il very well. Considering he has his people tell us he is a world-record golfer, an avid fighter pilot (in spite of being afraid of flying), and capable of memorizing entire phone books, they wouldn't stop at majority. They would tell us that he gloriously wrote the entire Linux kernel, which he then selflessly shared with Linus Torvalds.

      And then they would go back a step further and say that he is also the original author of Unix itself. By the end of the week he would also be the father of the transistor and semiconductor.

      --
      Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
  9. Re:Yes! by Fluffeh · · Score: 5, Funny

    Personally I wonder if the Blue Screen of Death is replaced with a Red Screen of Dissention.

    --
    Moved to http://soylentnews.org/. You are invited to join us too!
  10. Born on a rainbow star by e2d2 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Falling from the heavens like a rainbow star, the operating system appeared as a spirit of the people, willing itself into being to fight the evil west and spread true communist freedom to all people.

  11. Re:So, when by maxwell+demon · · Score: 5, Funny

    I hear the patches will be real killers.

    --
    The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
  12. Re:...can't...stop...myself... by Skillet5151 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I doubt they're going to murder him for leaking information about their non-secret software if that's what you mean. Apparently North Korea still gets a fair number of Russian tourists and would probably like to not piss off the Russian government.

    I ran across a bunch of pictures from a Russian tourist a while back with translated captions. I found them pretty interesting.
    http://www.enlight.ru/camera/dprk/index_e.html

  13. Re:Yes! by Ethanol-fueled · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Rather that than the enterprise controlling government with an iron fist, like where I live.