Hanoi Times – It is the less-known name in the local information technology industry, but Linux is poised to become the most-used solution for the IT community, given the blessing from authorities.
A technician labors a computer test on a production line at FPT E-lead, which is one among many local PC makers that install the Linux operating system on their products.
Not so much popular as Microsoft, but Linux will surely win the top place on the local market, following instructions from the Government and other central agencies promoting the use of open source software this year. So leading computer manufacturers have begun to install the Linux operating system on PCs supplied to all State agencies and schools.
"The majority of computers made in
Nghe, whose club groups seven top PC makers in the country with such brands as CMS, FPT E-lead, Mekong Green, Robo, VTB and Wiscom, affirms to the Daily that his company has now begun installing the new version Hacao Linux in desktop computers with the brand name Wiscom since January.
The change to Linux today sets up a key landmark in the development of Linux, which was introduced into Vietnam many years ago but which has never captured users' interest, says Hoang Le Minh, deputy director of HCMC's Post and Telematics Department. Weeks ago, the Ministry of Information and Communication recommended a list of open software solutions for use in State agencies and the education sector, comprising Open Office, Thunderbird, Firefox and Unikey.
In the same gesture, the Office of the Vietnam Communist Party has announced it has replaced Microsoft Office by Open Office, and by the end of 2008, all 20,000 desktops at Party organs throughout Vietnam will be installed with Open Office.
Other state agencies like the Department of Post and Telematics of Khanh Hoa Province, and three departments of Trade, Science and Technology, and Post and Telematics in HCMC are using Open Office on a trial basis. After this stage, HCMC agencies will expand the trial use of this open source software to three more departments and five districts in the first half of this year.
An official of the HCMC Department of Post and Telematics says that the trial time shows that Open Office meets the requirements of the department.
The key for PC makers to shift to Linex, according to many insiders, is the affordable price of the software.
Nghe of Khai Tri says his company will pay at least US$1 as copyright fee for each computer fitted with Linux. Despite the fee, the selling price of computers will not go up, and therefore, the PC maker's competitiveness will not be eroded.
History belonged to Microsoft, but now is the time for Linux as a refreshed player.
According to Nghe, local computer makers and assemblers so far have only installed Windows or Microsoft Disk Operating System (DOS). However, DOS only has the key function of examining the configuration, with little usage values. Meanwhile, Linux can bring various functions to customers.
Nghe says that the Linux-installed computers produced in Vietnam will bring more choice for users, and more importantly, it is the strong commitment of local PC producers in observing copyright protection rules. Customers will have more benefits from the licensed software without having to pay higher cost.
"Customers will enjoy many benefits from the Linux operating system without spending more because producers have paid the copyright fee for Linux," Nghe explains.
He says that Khai Tri will produce 15,000 PCs this year, and up to 10,000 of which are installed with Linux to supply State agencies and education institutions. The remainder will be supplied to small- and medium-sized enterprises, and within this smaller segment, users will decide which operating system to be installed.
Nghe forecasts that desktop consumption in Vietnam will continue increasing since the demand of State agencies and the education sector is still so high, and this is the haven for Linux.
