RedFlag Linux Takes on Windows

The battle for supreme operating system began anew over the weekend as RedFlag Software Co Ltd launched its RedFlag Linux Desktop 2.0 system in Beijing, as is reported by Chinadaily.

"The move will break the monopoly of the Windows operation system in the Chinese market,'' said Chen Chong, a senior official with the Ministry of Information Industry.

"The ministry will give its ful support to the development of RedFlag Linux as well as all the other Linux systems,'' Chen said.

China's operation system market has long been controlled by the powerful Windows series by US-based Microsoft. Over 90 per cent of desktop PCs were installed with Windows.

China sold nearly 5 million personal computers last year and the figure is estimated to be around 6 million units this year. Some 5.4 million computers in China are using Windows. Win2000 is priced at 1,999 yuan (US$241.43).

RedFlag is the flagship for the Linux system and set up by the country's biggest research institute: the China Academy of Sciences (CAS).

CAS launched the RedFlag Linux system for server use last year and controls one-fourth of the domestic server operation system market.

Launching the desktop system is a real breakthrough for the company as desktop PCs make up over 90 per cent of computer sales.

"Although RedFlag may not be perfect, we are confident for the coming success,'' said Liu Bo, CEO of RedFlag Software Co Ltd.

Business partners of RedFlag are also upbeat on the software's future.

Major computer producers IBM, Compaq, Hewlett Packard, Legend and Great Wall are currently in talks with RedFlag for co-operation.

Appliances giant TCL also signed an OEM (original equipment manufacture) agreement with RedFlag. TCL computers will have RedFlag operation systems pre-installed in place of Windows.

Compared with Windows, Linux is praised as safer, more Internet friendly and most importantly, very cheap.It can be downloaded without cost from the Internet.

"We will make profits from the after-sale value-added services, not from the sale of software,'' said Sun Yufang, chairman of RedFlag Software Co Ltd.

Although successfully launched, the software has a long way to go for real success, say experts.

"Linux will never defeat Windows, or grab consumers from the Windows camp,'' said a source close to Microsoft.

"The two will exist together for quite a long time,'' he said.

There are some potential problems facing Linux. China does not have a standard for Linux products. Different Linux software from different companies are not compatible with each other.

There are few application software programmes which can operate on the Linux system. Linux is only a platform, if no application software operates on it, Linux is useless.

As leader of domestic Linux companies, RedFlag has called for more application software developers to produce Linux-based application softwares.



People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/