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Why The Korean Government Could Go Open Source By 2020

Posted by timothy on from the file-formats-matter dept.

An anonymous reader writes As the support for the Microsoft (MS) Windows XP service is terminated this year, the government will try to invigorate open source software in order to solve the problem of dependency on certain software. By 2020 when the support of the Windows 7 service is terminated, it is planning to switch to open OS and minimize damages. Industry insiders pointed out that the standard e-document format must be established and shared as an open source before open source software is invigorated. A similar suggestion that Korea might embrace more open source (but couched more cautiously, with more "should" and "may") is reported on the news page of the EU's program on Interoperability Solutions for European Public Administrations, based on a workshop presentation earlier this month by Korea's Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning. (And at a smaller but still huge scale, the capitol city of Seoul appears to be going in for open source software in a big way, too.)

4 of 64 comments (clear)

  1. Yes. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

    Here comes the year of the Linux desktop.

  2. Not a chance by lakeland1587 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Korea is very tightly wed to Microsoft. I've seen linux on some servers and of course embedded devices, but I have never seen it on the desktop there. A huge amount of the software is Windows only, with both Mac and Linux users completely locked out. It's a pretty conservative, conformist culture - especially at a government level.

    1. Re:Not a chance by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

      At least you don't have all the citizens shit-scared that if their WiFi is open to the public that the police will descend on them and throw them in jail for the rest of their lives. It's easy to get a WiFi connection in Seoul without giving your personal information away.

      Reviewing the recent Slashdot story on routers that share a bit of bandwidth with the public reveal that, in some ways, South Korea is a liberal utopia of internet freedom compared to the likes of the US.

  3. Re: "The" Korean government? by binarylarry · · Score: 2, Interesting

    NK doesn't have a govt, it's a communist utopia ruled by a god king.

    --
    Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!