Nanchang Requires Internet Cafes To Use Linux: Misses the Point Purposely?

by Kristin Shoemaker - Dec. 03, 2008Comments (11)

It's not breaking news that software piracy is a colossal problem, especially in China. ComputerWorld reports on how the piracy issue is prompting Nanchang, the capital of China's Jiangxi province, to require internet cafe operators to replace pirated Windows versions with Red Flag Linux. And there's the rub: they must replace pirated software with Red Flag Linux for 5,000 yuan ($725). The price includes two years of support, and the license lasts a "lifetime." It is unclear whether this license is per seat, or per business location, or whether system and security updates fall into the support area. There is some confusion on whether purchasing a legal Windows server license is an option. There is no confusion, it seems, on this front -- Red Flag Linux is the Linux cafe owners must use.

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols surmises this has got to be the worst way to market Linux. I'd hazard a guess it's not "marketing" going on in Nanchang, but his worries are spot on.

It would be madness to think this an effort -- a real effort, anyway -- to stop software piracy. It's not about illegal licenses, or open source software. I hope it's more about generating revenue for those involved (on distribution or government levels, even) than it is about keeping a finger on the pulse of Nanchang's internet use. Right now, though, it's hard to tell.

Vaughan-Nichols mentions that for the 600 or so affected internet cafes in Nanchang, the price tag is astronomical. These cafes are the only access to computers that many people in the area have -- and the cafe owners aren't raking in cash (upkeep of public machines is intensive, and expensive).

I can't say if these internet cafe owners object to paying for the licensing and support simply because the price is high. There are likely many cafe owners who are aware that alternatives exist that are supported, localized, and who have the technical expertise to install and maintain these systems themselves. For these owners, it must not only be frustrating -- it has to be disconcerting.

I have a real problem letting myself worry that this is going to hinder open source software adoption in China. I'd be even more worried if I believed this was "bad press" for open source software or that people would get the "wrong idea" about what open source software represents.

Free as in beer is negotiable. Free as in speech, in open source terms, simply isn't. I can't help but be much more concerned that the "free as in speech" concept in this case is creaking under the weight of the irony.


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11 Comments
 

Obviosly city officials are getting a nice kickback from Red Flag Linux publisher


0 Votes

Gee...everything Asian did is always wrong.... They may have missed the point of your so-called free as in a speech. If I have to use a metaphor, most people in Asia is already content with free as a beer. Sometimes we can't even afford the beef ourselves. We don't care about free as in a speech.

I suppose there's nothing wrong with the Chinese government requiring Red Flag Linux in ever internet cafes.


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The idea, though, is that this isn't free in ANY sense. The owners of the internet cafes are required to pay money for Red Flag. They are not *allowed* to use anything else. There is no free alternative they can use.... they will, by rights, also be held accountable for using a pirated version.


So if these cafe owners can't use pirated versions, or free (in beer) alternatives... I wonder how anyone can think the local government has any cafe owner's best interest in mind? And I'd have to agree with Carlos -- there's at the very least some kickback money involved for city officials (or relatives of city officials who work in Red Flag support). In a scarier scenario, requiring Red Flag might give the city the ability to monitor cafe users, implicate cafe owners in any illegal activities carried out by their users, or give the city the right to shut down any internet cafe owner unwilling, or simply unable, to pay for the support.


The charge is a significant, valid complaint for small internet cafe businesses. I wonder if it's the only complaint they have, or if it is the only one they feel comfortable bringing up publicly. "Free as in beer" is important, but the absence of "free as in speech" can be equally significant (and dangerous) just as quickly.


0 Votes

I love Red Flag Linux. It is the very best.


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Wow...just...wow...I've heard various stories about the extent of corruption within China, but this is pretty blatant. I can hardly begin to express the torrent of thoughts running through my mind and the outrage that I feel.


With my twisted sense of humor, I can't help but think that it's a hell of a time to buy Red Flag stock, though...


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I love Red Flag Linux, too. Better alternatives don't exist.


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Red Flag Linux first appeared in August 1999, when it was created by the Institute of Software Research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Financial help came from government-owned ShangHai NewMargin Venture Capital. In March 2001, Bloomberg News reported that CCIDNET Investment, a VC arm of the Ministry of Information Industry, had become Red Flag's second largest shareholder. China is RED FLAG LARGEST INVESTOR.... MORE SELLS MORE MONEY!!!!!


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Ok, so what's the problem ? It's only normal for a government to promote locally-developed alternatives. Don't get on your high-horses for THAT.


It's more about the price. They're just getting a nice little cut of the sales, that's all it is. Any of you work in the software biz in China? Any of you live in China? Any of you have ever even BEEN in China ? I do all 3, and let me tell you... that story was BARELY worth blogging about. There are MUCH bigger issues on the same subject, and Nanchang is but a small city in the whole of the country. And cities make their own by-laws when it comes to this. So, you only need a few corrupt party officials (hardly a rarity) to make something like this happen.


You guys should either dig deeper into the WHOLE China story, or stay to your western comfort zone (make no mistake, i'm American), but if you're getting appalled by THAT, you're really not out of the woods.


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There is absolutely nothing wrong with this. It is how everything should be "marketed" here. Instead of the government controlling the means, out-source it to a "legitimate" company. Offer to accept kick-backs errr incentives errr marketing fees to the company when you do their "marketing" for them. Crack heads when customers don't choose your sanctioned product. Jump-start the economy. What is "wrong" with this?


0 Votes

Ok, so what's the problem ? It's only normal for a government to promote locally-developed alternatives. Don't get on your high-horses for THAT.


It's more about the price. They're just getting a nice little cut of the sales, that's all it is. Any of you work in the software biz in China? Any of you live in China? Any of you have ever even BEEN in China ? I do all 3, and let me tell you... that story was BARELY worth blogging about. There are MUCH bigger issues on the same subject, and Nanchang is but a small city in the whole of the country. And cities make their own by-laws when it comes to this. So, you only need a few corrupt party officials (hardly a rarity) to make something like this happen.


You guys should either dig deeper into the WHOLE China story, or stay to your western comfort zone (make no mistake, i'm American), but if you're getting appalled by THAT, you're really not out of the woods.


0 Votes

Harlin, you REALLY think this doesn't happen in the US ?? You gotta be kidding. The only difference is, it's been refined to an almost undetectable level, through decades and decades of practice. That is just human nature, my friend.


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