France and China form Linux alliance
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Plans call for a Linux-based platform that will be usable in multiple environments, including on PCs, servers and PDAs.
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As part of a multiyear contract with Novell Inc., the French company will install Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop on up to 20,000 computers, in addition to 2,500 servers.
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French dairy giant Groupe Danone and China's market leader in liquid milk, China Mengniu Dairy Company, have signed a joint venture agreement to cooperate in the production and distribution of fresh dairy products in China.
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sameerdesai writes &quot;Seattletimes is carying this story on Intel helping major countries like China and India to help build Linux machines as an alternative to Microsoft Windows.
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Linux distributor Red Hat Inc has established a new presence in China to promote the use of open source software in the country, following up on plans announced back in January.
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(InfoWorld) - Earlier this year, members of Chinese and Taiwanese IT associations announced broad plans to work together to jointly develop and promote Linux as well as home-grown standards for certain IT components. The idea is to match Taiwanâs technology prowess with Chinaâs huge number of users as a base for a global Linux putsch, and to create new standards to compete with global initiatives from Blu-ray to CDMA (Code Division Mutliple Access). At an IT trade show in Shanghai, IDG News Service (IDGNS) caught up with Roger Liao, deputy director of international affairs at one of Taiwanâs biggest industry groups, the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturersâ Association (TEEMA), to discuss progress on both fronts, in addition to other IT developments in China. IDG News Service: How is work on Linux progressing? Whatâs popular and whatâs not in Taiwan and China? Liao: It really depends on what kind of product youâre talking about. For example, China really wants to promote Linux as an OS, because itâs more stable. But Microsoft is by far the more popular OS here because people are used to it and it has a larger market share. Microsoftâs recent deal with Novell is another aspect thatâs very interesting, but itâs too early to say how that will affect Linux development and usage in China. Linux is still mostly used in servers and as embedded software in China and Taiwan. A number of Taiwanese companies have opened Linux development centers in China for embedded software development. Although Chinese engineers are less experienced, they are not expensive to hire, and they learn quickly. Even we (TEEMA) use Chinese engineers for all of our software needs, but thatâs mostly our Web site and e-commerce platform. IDGNS: What about the development of new technology standards? Weâve heard a lot about meetings between Taiwanese and Chinese IT associations to create new global technology standards. Whatâs been accomplished so far? Liao: Thereâs not a lot going on so far, just a lot of talking. Developing standards is very difficult, itâs actually a very political issue. Itâs something we (Taiwan-China) always talk about â we even held discussions at the recent APEC meeting (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, Hanoi, Nov. 18,19) â but nothing concrete has come from these discussions. Most of our members are manufacturers, contract manufacturers, so they normally wait and see what standard wins out, and then embrace the winner. Thatâs the way itâs been for years, and I donât see it changing anytime soon. IDGNS: Speaking of manufacturing, is the growth of China really hurting Taiwanese manufacturers? Liao: A lot of Taiwanese companies are already using China as a manufacturing base, so theyâre taking advantage of the low costs. But the other issue is quality. Even Chinese companies that are making components on their own, well their quality isnât as good as Taiwan. There are also more risks in doing business with China. Chinese companies will always say âcan doâ even if they canât, which is a problem if your business depends on their delivery. So overall, it may be less expensive on the surface, but other problems such as low quality and business risk in China can increase expenses over the long run, and then it doesnât seem so cheap anymore. Taiwan has been involved in international business for years, particularly in IT. China is rather new to the game, and they still have a lot to learn. Taiwan is actually the best partner for foreigners to approach using China as a manufacturing base and as a market. Japanese companies tend to prefer partnering with Taiwanese companies when entering China. They take advantage of Taiwanâs long experience in China as well as better communication skills (Mandarin is spoken in both Taiwan and China). Itâs more difficult for Japanese companies to do it on their own, the costs are much higher. They definitely can do it, but there is a learning curve and itâs expensive to climb. Taiwan still has a big advantage in know-how, the knowledge of the local people, the education, and the experience with international business practices and standards. (Liao was in Shanghai for a major electronics trade show in China, a three-in-one combo; the China Electronics Fair (CEF Shanghai 2006), Asia Electronics Exhibition in Shanghai (AAES 2006), and the 2006 International Electronics Expo (IEE Shanghai 2006).ADVERTISEMENTNEW IT SERVICES FROM IBM: EASIER TO BUY AND IMPLEMENTDiscover a simpler, more cost-effective way to get the solutions your company needs to grow more flexible and efficient.
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Microsoft Corp., the world&#39;s largest software maker, and France&#39;s Dassault Systemes have forged a global, 5-year strategic alliance to deliver Dassault&#39;s 3D software to firms using the Microsoft software platform.
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In a deal that could lead to the creation of a unique cross-platform authentication system for heterogenous networks, Tokyo-based Linux distributor Turbolinux announced this morning, Japan time, it has reached an agreement with Microsoft for a cross-licensing of the two companies' patent portfolios.
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Linux Journal recently caught up with Mandriva CEO, FranÃ§ois Bancilhon, to find out more about a recently announced partnership between Mandriva of France and Turbolinux of Japan. read more
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French President Jacques Chirac declared on Saturday that France was a natural trade partner to China and, amid a flurry of air, rail and energy
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Microsoft has signed yet another Linux collaboration and patent agreement, this time with its old copyright adversary Linspire, through which the companies will work on interoperability between Windows and Linux.
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French President Jacques Chirac said his country is willing to further strengthen cooperation with China, his spokesman told reporters on Monday.
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In the presence of French President Jacques Chirac and Mr. Hu Jintao, president of the People's Republic of China, on Oct.
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PARIS  - French companies were counting some four billion euros (&#36;5 billion US) in spoils after President Jacques Chirac used an official visit to China to boost economic ties in a bid to prevent France from being left behind in the emerging Asian superpower's markets.
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(InfoWorld) - European car manufacturing giant PSA Peugeot CitroÃ«n has agreed to one of the Continent's largest-ever deployments of open-source Linux software on desktop computers. As part of a multiyear contract with Novell, the French company will install Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop on up to 20,000 computers in addition to 2,500 servers, the U.S. software vendor said Tuesday. The announcement comes on the same day thatÂ Microsoft's new Vista operating system and Office 2007 software suite become commercially available for consumers. Charles King, principle analyst with Pund-IT, a technology research firm, referred to the size of the Novell contract with Peugeot CitroÃ«n as "significant" and the timing of the announcement as "very interesting." "The migration to Vista will require a significant hardware upgrade," King said. "The costs associated with this upgrade will open the door for companies to consider alternatives." Officials from Peugeot CitroÃ«n were unavailable for comment, but Novell said in a statement, quoting an IT representative from the French company, that support for Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop and the user-friendly design of the software were key factors in the selection process. The opportunity to lower IT costs through open-source software almost certainly had to be another factor, King said. Novell provided no financial details of the contract. With Vista and Office being powerful IT tools, King believes that many companies will start asking themselves what sort of functionality their employees need on their desktop computers and, equally important, what they are willing to pay for this functionality. With Vista and Office 2007, King warned, some companies could be purchasing way more functionality then they need. "Let me put it this way: Do you need a Ferrari to go to the neighborhood shopping store when a mini-van will do?" he said.
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If Microsoft were a country, its Linux strategy might be described as declaring war on all Linux nations, and then, one by one, signing peace treaties. On Monday, Microsoft announced another intellectual property agreement with Linux server and desktop provider Xandros.
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Dialogue between China and France, two countries which highly value cultural diversity and pluralism in international politics, is no doubt conducive to world peace.