Is the “Tomato Garden event” a signal of we should pay more attention on Linux?

I think there are many people in china know the news of “Tomatolei.com’s Founder Seized In Suzhou For Piracy” these days. To express it in a line is: the author named Hong Lei of “Tomato edition windows xp” which is popular in china was seized by local policeman for the complaint of microsoft and other related company. There are many guesses about this, but, some real things are: microsoft complaint “Tomato Garden”, the authorities of china response positively, and the “Tomato” was killed.

It is no necessay to inspect the detail of this event, for the pirating windows user, we can feel, either the authorities or microsoft has began to hit more and more seriously. There is a survy about this event at a website in china, about 70% of users has ever used or has been using pirating Windows. and there are about 80% of users support Hong Lei! So, we can know how seriously of Windows pirating in china! There is a viewpiont of Pirate software : Pirating is helpful for us, if we buy licensed commercial software totally, we would buy less compter for the money reason. For this viewpiont, I don’t describe its harm for our innovative ability and our morals, I don’t describe its killing the native software company of us yet, I only want say, there is a very realistic situation is: maybe, the china will become the biggest sufferer of pirating softwares. It is said that Bill Gates has said in 1998: spend 10 years to make chinese addicted to Windows with pirating Windows! It seems this has became reality: Not a little part of our entire IT industry is based on pirating Windows and other softwares. Microsoft has controled our IT field already, especially our educational department! As a big developing country, it seems china government will hit software pirate more and more seriously. Maybe, the policeman will check our computer in our home in a day future! China is big, so, even microsoft lost all the market in the other area, the china market will support microsoft for a long time. This the current status of software pirating in china and the result if we let’s things ride along this way!

Is it the only way for developing our IT industry which is a windows way decripted above? And we must discard our “old” computer to buy one by one huge Windows OS? No, there is way, a more freedom and bright way, that’s Linux! Linux desktop OS has satisfied almost all of our application, it’s very mature in techniques now, the reason of it can’t meet all of our application is lacking the support by the native software companies. For the pirating Windows and some other reason, there are very few people using Linux in china, according to the analysis in “Linux popularity across the globe“, this analysis is according to the searching keyword data in google, china isn’t included in the countries of most popular Linux using. These countries are India, Cuba and Russia, etc.. Consider of the huge pc quantity, so, I can say, the developing of Linux and Open Source in china is still very backward, there is still very hard and long way for us to go.

I think, the most reason of stoping the popularity and developing of linux in china is neither the using habit nor lacking the support of native software companies, but the strategy of the developing of entire IT indirstry controled by the china government. It also isn’t due to the very bad morals level of our computer users, for example, it reported “German Universities Tap Linux“, there are about 40 percent of university students using Linux in german. I don’t think the morals of german students outstrip ours so much, the main reason is the support coming from local government. Let’s suppose, if china government strengthen the education of Linux and Open Source, meanwhile, orientate the entire IT indurstry towards to Linux and Open Source, for example, if we can use full functions’ QQ and UC (Instant Messaging and entertainment platform), if we can use Personal Online Banking easy under Linux(we must use IE under windows to use our almost every Personal Online Banking in china), there will be a bright future of our IT industry, I think. China is a country which need huge quantity IT products, we should own the ability to change our future, and, as the huge reqirement of Linux and Open Source, it will must promote the developing of Linux and Open Source in world. Although the ability of developing Linux and Open Source of china is still very backward, but, we are learning and growing. We will helpful for entire IT world to be changed.

Of course, Microsoft, as a powerful enterprise, for the money, it must keep the state of we depending on it so much try its effort. Maybe, it will reduce the price of their products. But, if we don’t choice Linux and Open Source, all the things will be decided by Microsoft totally.

From my heart, I wish the world good luck, china good luck, the IT industry of china good luck, the people of china good luck, the technique hacker like Hong Lei good luck. Of course, Linux and Open Source good luck, Microsoft good luck too.

For me, I will focus on the using and developing of Linux and Open Source in china persistently, and share the thinking and tips about Linux and Open Source. Welcome to my blog called “Learning Diary” regularly, see you later! Thanks.

(Chinese version of this article click “番茄花园”事件是我们应该给予 Linux 更多关注的一个信号？.)