Linspire offers to replace Microsoft in South Korea

Keywords: Match:

Nov. 08, 2005

Microsoft has told South Korea that if the KFTC (Korean Fair Trade Commission) forces it to remove code or redesign Windows for the Korean market, it might withdraw Windows from the Korean market. In response, Linspire Inc. has offered to license every PC in Korea with its Linux operating system.

Microsoft had threatened to remove Windows from Korea because the KFTC has been investigating allegations that Microsoft has breeched Korean antitrust laws by incorporating services its instant messaging client and media player into Windows

The KFTC is expected to rule on these allegations in late November. A preliminary KFTC is believed to go against Microsoft. If the KFTC upheld such findings, it is expected that it would require Microsoft to unbundle these applications.

In the past, Microsoft has reluctantly unbundled its media player from Windows in Europe after losing similar cases. Microsoft has also, in the face of competition from the Linux desktop, started releasing XP Starter Editions in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. These cheaper versions have less functionality and fewer features than XP Home or Pro.

In the case of Korea, though, Microsoft is playing hardball.

Korean journalist Kim Tae-gyu speculates that this is because, "Microsoft has gone all-out to win because the case is significant to it. This is the first antitrust ruling it has faced in Asia, Microsoft's emerging market.

Linspire Inc., long a thorn in Microsoft's side under its former name of LindowsOS, has seized the opportunity to once more gain marketing clout at Microsoft's expense by offering to "license every computer in his nation with Linspire and all the software they'll need for basic desktop and laptop use for only U.S. $5 million."

In an open letter to South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, Linspire president and CEO Kevin Carmony, said, "Considering Microsoft posted sales of U.S. $224 million in Korea for 2004 -- which, by the way, was less than 1 percent of Microsoft's total global revenue of $37 billion -- South Korea could save around a quarter of a billion dollars."

Linspire provides Korean support for its Linspire Five-0 Linux operating system as a basic settings program. The company also provides Korean translations of Linux How-Tos and FAQs.

Carmony has also offered to fly to Korea to demonstrate Linspire Five-0's strengths and its compatibility with Korean legacy file types.

Linspire, however, might find it hard going in Korea. The former head of Microsoft Korea, Ko Hyun-jin, is now president of the government-sponsored Korea IT Industry Promotion Agency and is an avid supporter of Linux.

However, Ko's first interest is in boosting Korea's own software industry with Linux and open-source programs. Thus, if Korea does react to Microsoft's threat by making a strong Linux move, Korean Linux companies would be much more likely to be awarded any companies. These include Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, Web Data Bank and Mitzi Research Inc.

If you found this eWEEK.com article by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols informative, be sure to check out eWEEK.com's Linux & Open Source Center for the latest open-source news, reviews, and analysis.

Related stories:

(Click here for further information)

Approaching the Linux Desktop
The purpose of this paper is to help organizations evaluate the Linux desktop against their own enterprise needs and discover what benefits the Linux desktop might bring to their organizations.

Migrating To Linux: Application Challenges and Solutions
Several solutions exist to help organizations migrate in an orderly fashion from Windows to Linux desktops. This paper establishes the characteristics of an ideal cross-platform solution and reviews these alternatives in light of this ideal standard. The paper takes a closer look at the pros and cons of various solutions and outlines the business benefits that can be achieved.

Linux Advantages: Publicly Available Information on Linux Software
This paper offers a brief summary of readily-available Linux information to help businesses sort out this widely misunderstood operating system.

Top 5 Strategies for Managing Linux
Despite continuous evolution in the manageability of Linux, a 2006 survey cited manageability concerns as a top reason why organizations are hesitating to adopt Linux. Levanta believes Linux can be as manageable, if not more so, than other operating systems by following key strategies. These strategic recommendations were developed from experiences in numerous customer environments, both large and small.

Why Choose Novell for Linux?
This paper outlines the benefits of switching to the Linux platform and choosing Novell as a high-performance, enterprise solution.

Enterprise Linux Selection Guide
Considering moving your enterprise to the Linux operating system? Since there are so many similar versions, choosing the right one can be tough. This paper offers a clear process to help you make an informed decision and get the features, support, and cost that are right for your business and technical needs.

Overcoming Challenges in Managing Linux
Levanta has created a new administration model with innovative technology that breaks down the barriers to making the most of Linux systems. This paper will provide an in-depth look at the workings of Levanta’s product, the first Linux appliance of its kind.

SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 for Retail Businesses
Discover why major retailers have switched to SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop in the back office. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 is a low-cost desktop that offers a complete set of productivity applications and interoperates seamlessly with the other Windows, Macintosh and UNIX desktops in your store.

Moving to a Linux Desktop
Migrating from Windows to Linux on the desktop can be a substantial undertaking because it has the potential for touching -- and perhaps disrupting -- every user in your organization. Unlike a data center (server and infrastructure) migration that is largely transparent to users, the cultural and administrative transitions and environment readiness required to support a Linux desktop migration are extensive.

Seven Good Reasons to Exchange Exchange
This paper describes seven compelling reasons why you should switch from Exchange to Scalix.

Got a HOT tip? please tell us!

ADVERTISEMENT
(Advertise here)

Popular recent stories: • Lightweight GNOME alternative emerges • Linux gains action RPG • World's cheapest Linux-based laptop? • WiFi software arrives on Linux desktops • BeOS-like distro focused on content creation • Graphics board vendor touts faster Linux drivers • Linux mini-PC takes two Watts to tango • Hats off to Fedora 9 • Debian looks to launch lenny in Sept. All-time Classics: • Choosing a desktop Linux distro • Banshee -- the next best thing to Linux iTunes • The Best Free Desktop Linux . . . and how to make it better • Running World of Warcraft on Ubuntu • Linux-powered Asus Eee PC mini-laptop arrives • A simple Linux backup method • The well-tempered Debian desktop • What's the best Linux for beginners? • VirtualBox: The best virtualization program you've never heard of • Getting to know Puppy Linux • Xandros 4: The best desktop Linux for Windows users	Desktop Linux books Join our Desktop Linux discussion forums: • Moving to Linux • Linux/Windows debate! • Linux Q&A . . . and more

BREAKING NEWS

• Lenovo ditches Linux
• OSCON 2008 presentations, videos posted
• Debian distro named for little green man
• Google spins web browser
• Summit debuts for Linux end users
• "UbuntuLite" reviewed
• Linux in the SME
• Linux: not yet photo-friendly
• Linux to gain anti-virus software
• Linux gains backup utility
• Testing Lenny
• HP offers Linux on low-end mini-notes
• Dell shipping five Hardy Heron systems
• IBM pushes "Microsoft-free" desktops
• Unified communications groupware comes to Linux

Linux-Watch headlines:
• OSCON 2008 presentations, videos posted
• Linux -- not yet photo-friendly
• Microsoft buys additional Linux support
• SFLC publishes GPL compliance guide
• Linux switch vendor sued over GPL
• Judge Kimball rules -- the sequel!
• Microsoft tactics push India toward Linux
• Bell, SuperMicro sued over GPL
• "Business intelligence" software goes GPL
• Will Atom bomb?

Visit the...

news feed

Home \| News \| Articles \| Forum \| Polls \| About \| Contact

	Ziff Davis Enterprise Home \| Contact Us \| Advertise \| Link to Us \| Reprints \| Magazine Subscriptions \| Newsletters Tech RSS Feeds \| White Papers \| ROI Calculators \| Tech Podcasts \| Tech Video \| VARs \| Channel News
	Baseline \| Careers \| Channel Insider \| CIO Insight \| DesktopLinux \| DeviceForge \| DevSource \| eSeminars \| eWEEK \| Enterprise Network Security \| LinuxDevices \| Linux Watch \| Microsoft Watch \| Mid-market \| Networking \| PDF Zone \| Publish \| Security IT Hub \| Strategic Partner \| Web Buyer's Guide \| Windows for Devices
	Developer Shed \| Dev Shed \| ASP Free \| Dev Articles \| Dev Hardware \| SEO Chat \| Tutorialized \| Scripts \| Code Walkers \| Web Hosters \| Dev Mechanic \| Dev Archives \| igrep
Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2008 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Home \| News \| Articles \| Forum \| Polls \| About \| Contact

	Ziff Davis Enterprise Home \| Contact Us \| Advertise \| Link to Us \| Reprints \| Magazine Subscriptions \| Newsletters Tech RSS Feeds \| White Papers \| ROI Calculators \| Tech Podcasts \| Tech Video \| VARs \| Channel News
	Baseline \| Careers \| Channel Insider \| CIO Insight \| DesktopLinux \| DeviceForge \| DevSource \| eSeminars \| eWEEK \| Enterprise Network Security \| LinuxDevices \| Linux Watch \| Microsoft Watch \| Mid-market \| Networking \| PDF Zone \| Publish \| Security IT Hub \| Strategic Partner \| Web Buyer's Guide \| Windows for Devices
	Developer Shed \| Dev Shed \| ASP Free \| Dev Articles \| Dev Hardware \| SEO Chat \| Tutorialized \| Scripts \| Code Walkers \| Web Hosters \| Dev Mechanic \| Dev Archives \| igrep
Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2008 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.