RE: [tlug] Japan to Study Linux Software

[patrick.niessen@example.com]

> what the government would require... I'm thinking things like 
> graphical user interfaces would be a major factor.

I installed Suse 8.1 yesterday, and I have to say we get closer to OSX in
terms of sexyness.  Now if those buggy GUI applications would become more
stable ... it could work!  Also think about making wine work with some
legacy apps.  

> 
> Also, the article says "Japan lags behind Germany, the United 
> States, China and other nations looking into or using 
> open-source software such as Linux, which can be used and 
> modified for free."  For one thing, Japan can afford to be 

Japan can not necessarily afford it.  Just read last week in the HT / Asahi
how government wasted billions on an NEC contract after they made a pilot
for only 10,000Yen total cost (as opposed to IBM who wanted 20 Million, and
PWC wo wanted 200,000). The bureaucrats in charge apparently have not a clue
about systems.  

How many government agency websites were hacked into again? Who regularly
looses millions of Citizen data records, or has its "secret" IP addresses of
the defence network sold?

> >The funny thing is that they are asking Microsoft people for 
> the advice 
> >(and apparently paying them). Doesn?t this seem like a 
> conflict between 
> >the government (the people?s interest) and private business 
> >interests???

Japan is also not very famous for having a fair and open public work bidding
process ...


I think this announcement is just hot air.  In Germany the OSS efford of the
government is driven by very energetic individuals, who studied the subject
matter in depth, and are not too keen to depend on foreign companies for
their core systems.  Japan, as an impotent appendix of the US certainly does
not have such agents of change in the administration.  I think they'd be
happy to tag along with any "proven" software.

But the strong point in Japan is that private companies often support and
use Linux. And besides they also create other good alternatives like TRON
and Ruby.