"OT" somewhat, but interesting, Stan.
Japan, China, S Korea to jointly develop Windows replacement
Sat Aug 30,10:29 PM ET Add Technology - AFP to My Yahoo!
story.news.yahoo.com
TOKYO (AFP) - Japan, China and South Korea (news - web sites) plan to develop an original operating system in a bid to challenge the domination of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows, news reports said.
Trade and Industry Minister Takeo Hiranuma is to propose the plan when he meets his Chinese and South Korean counterparts in Phnom Penh on Wednesday on the sidelines of the ASEAN trade ministers' meeting, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun and the Asahi Shimbun said Sunday, quoting sources.
The three countries are expected to reach an accord in mid-September, when senior trade ministry officials are to hold another meeting, Asahi said, and to establish a joint private-.
The accord would be the first signed by major economies, the two dailies said.
Under the expected tie-up, the partners are expected to improve open-source operating system, like Linux (news - web sites).
The three countries are to set up a joint private-sector promotion committee in mid-November, to include Japanese businesses such as NTT Data Corp., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., NEC Corp., Hitachi Ltd. and Fujitsu Ltd.
The project is part of combined efforts to reduce heavy reliance on Microsoft's operating system, which they say has oppressed their business strength in the computer software industry.
Japan, China and South Korea have also noted the risk of overconcentration of a single software product, they said.
Computer viruses targeting Windows' defects have been rapidly proliferating, awakening global industry officials to the importance of reviewing reliance on Microsoft's operating software.
To develop a Windows replacement, the partners will make improvements to Linux or other open-source programs, using their basic designs, and develop their own unique application software programs, including those for word processing and spreadsheets.
The governments of the three countries will consider subsidising the project. If a new operating system is developed via the scheme, the three governments are expected to use it in some of their computer systems, they said. |
