Korea jettisons Windows for Linux Government to save $300m a year with open source

Subject: [bytesforall_readers] Korea jettisons Windows for Linux Government to save $300m a year with open source
Date: 06 Oct 2003 08:14:37 +0530
From: Sunil Abraham <sunil@mahiti.org>
To: Bytesforall Readers <bytesforall_readers@yahoogroups.com>

Korea jettisons Windows for Linux Government to save $300m a year with open source

http://www.silicon.com/news/500011/1/6225.html

The South Korean government has announced a plan to have proprietary
software on a substantial number of its PCs and servers replaced with
open source alternatives by 2007.

Thousands of computers in ministries, government-linked organisations
and universities in South Korea will replace the Microsoft Windows
operating system and Office productivity suite with open source
alternatives under the plan, according to the country's Ministry of
Information and Communication.

Twenty percent of desktop software and 30 percent of server software
will be changed to open source by 2007, a spokesperson from the Ministry
of Information and Communication said.

As a first step, organisations including South Korea's Industry
Promotion Agency and Korea Association of Information and
Telecommunication will switch to open source software such as the Linux
operating system and Mozilla web browser for both desktop PCs and
servers.

"If the change is successful, we will be able to save about US$300m a
year. Also, we may ensure security and inter-connectivity of national
information system," the spokesperson continued.

However industry experts have expressed skepticism, saying that the
country's software developers don’t have the resources to support both
Windows and Linux.

Also, Microsoft Korea claimed that commercial software was never highly
expensive. Microsoft Korea marketing director Kwon Chan said that
although open source software may seem to be cheaper initially, it will
eventually cost more, once maintenance and management costs are
considered.

However, the South Korea government said it is on the side of
competition.

"We will allow anyone who uses open source software access to web-based
services. Once that environment is made ready, then true competition
will evolve," a spokesperson for the government said.

Currently, Linux users are not able to use several key Korean web-based
services. For example, many portals run by banks and government agencies
support only Microsoft's Windows operating system and Internet Explore
(IE) browser.

The Ministry of Information and Communication will get help from other
government ministries to ensure active participation from open source
groups.

Last month, Japan, China and South Korea met in the Cambodian capital of
Phnom Penh to sign an agreement to jointly research and develop
non-Windows, open source OS.

Seung eun Myung writes for ZDNet Korea

--
Sunil Abraham, sunil@mahiti.org http://www.mahiti.org
MAHITI Infotech Pvt. Ltd.'Reducing the cost and complexity of ICTs'
314/1, 7th Cross, Domlur Bangalore - 560 071 Karnataka, INDIA
Ph/Fax: +91 80 4150580. Mobile: 98455 12611
"If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange apples
then you and I will still each have one apple.
But if you have an idea and I have one idea and we exchange these
ideas,then each of us will have two ideas" George B. Shaw

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