China adopts Ubuntu as the official OS of China
In a move that will give open source software a boost in the public eye, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has chosen Ubuntu as the base for an operating system that is more suitable for Chinese users. It will go by the name of Ubuntu Kylin and will be released by April.
It will be released first for desktop and laptop computers, other devices like smartphones and tablets and cloud computing will also be supported over time. The current edition of Ubuntu Kylin with version number 13.04 already supports customized input methods for Chinese characters, has Chinese calendars and a new weather indicator,and also the ability to search across popular music services from the dash. Apart from these newer releases will include integration with Baidu maps, leading shopping service Taobao, payment processing for Chinese banks, and real-time train and flight information.
The development for Ubuntu Kylin will continue as a separate version of Ubuntu tailored specifically for the Chinese market. The most popular office suite in china, WPS is also contributing to the project by creating photo editing and system management tools which could be incorporated in other Ubuntu distros as well.
The move to embrace open source software is part of a five year initiative by the Chinese government. China has the highest population in the world and an initiative like this will be a much needed shot in the arm for the open source movement. Official support by governments can bolster the growth and adoption of open source softwares by leaps and bounds.
Do you use open source software? Do you think other countries should emulate the Chinese government and embrace Linux too? Share your views with us in the comments below.
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