Trusting Linux: Despite throwing cash around during his tour of India last week, Bill Gates failed to persuade at least one Indian to fall for Windows.
Digvijay Singh, chief minister of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, told Gates that he's decided to plump for Linux, Microsoft's open source rival, when considering software for government projects.
'For us it is not a question of Microsoft versus Linux. It is just a matter of choosing between a free software and a monopoly. We feel that when we are putting public information out in the open, then it should not be through a proprietary software.' [India Times].
The developing world, when given the choice, prefers Linux.
Computer industry reports predict Linux use will spread to two-thirds of Chinese software developers over the next year. [Linux Devices].
Linux will be run in some 33 percent of computers in Latin America. [Forbes].
In India, Linux powers the new $268 Simputer designed to bring cheap computing to tribal villages. [Register].
Just like everybody else, countries on a tight budget find that Microsoft software is expensive, bloated and riddled with bugs and security holes.
Like everybody else, they find themselves on a perpetual upgrade cycle, splashing out every few years on computers big enough, fast enough to deal with the spec demanded by the latest version of Windows.
Like everybody else, illegally copying software is becoming less of an option as corporations push through tough anti-piracy laws.
Linux's overriding advantage for sovereign states, however, may be its inherent trustworthiness. Governments can check its code and make sure it doesn’t contain any back doors, any holes left for foreign intelligence services to peer through.
