One up for the Linux lovers. Taiwan is making sure they don't contribute too much to Microsoft's coffers and wants their PCs to be linux compatible for future use. Now bang me on the head. Why not just buy the PCs now and install Linux ? Well, one things for sure, I think not all their applications can run on Linux now and having them Linux certified is a good way to protect their Returns on Investment (ROI). This move on a government scale is similar to the one taken by Malaysia some time ago.
Quotes :
Taiwan has mandated that all PCs purchased for government use must now be compatible with the Linux operating system. The Central Trust of China, Taiwan's government procurement agency, has commissioned the Taipei Computer Association (TCA) to ensure that bids from PC vendors include equipment that are compatible with Linux.
Goh Seow Hiong, director of software policy at Business Software Alliance (BSA) in Asia, noted: "There are many different distributions of Linux, and the intention may not be to ensure that every variant of Linux would be supported." "Perhaps the certification may be [awarded based on] more specific criterion such as the Linux Standards Base (LSB), which is easier to verify for compliance," he told ZDNet Asia. "Otherwise, very few computers will be able to meet the requirement." The LSB is a set of common standards established by the Free Standards Group to enhance interoperability across Linux distributions and applications.
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