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Open source: Developing markets and anti-Americanism

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Linux Open Source

Published: 14 Nov 2005 12:00 GMT

...and has funded a number of open source initiatives and research projects. Last year, the Chinese Ministry of Information founded the Open Source Software Promotion Alliance to encourage the development of China's open source software industry. The government is also working with a number of other countries on open source projects, for example, it is working with the South Korean and Japanese governments to develop open source alternatives to Microsoft Windows, and is working with the French Atomic Energy Commission to develop a Linux-based platform for online services and communication applications.

The Chinese government's enthusiasm for open source software is partly to lower cost, and partly to benefit the local industry, says DiMaio of Gartner. But, there are also cultural and political reasons for its pro-open source policy, according to analyst Governor.

"There is a lot of distrust of American imperialism in China," says Governor. "As Linux is not owned by an American company it appeals to them. China also has communitarian instincts, which open source plays into"

There is also concern among some members of the Chinese government that Microsoft software contains secretly embedded code that the US government could manipulate, which would allow the US to bring down China's computing infrastructure.

Madanmohan Rao, a research director at the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC) agrees that anti-Americanism is a factor in China's promotion of open source. "The Chinese government is a bit paranoid about having proprietary code — it is worried about a back door into its systems," he says.

Next: India: Speaking your language

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Its the applications and device drivers that run on windows that cement its dominance. How many people would fork out hundreds of pounds for Vista if Linux ran all the software and kit they wanted to use.