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Software warriors enter the Asian
arena
By Martin Young
HUA
HIN, Thailand - As the software developers of the world
continue to expand their products in pursuit of market
domination, a new battlefield has emerged and the power
struggle for control is stronger than ever. Asia is the
latest arena for digital warfare, and the two
heavyweights locked in combat at the moment are
Microsoft and Linux.
The two competitors are
offering regionally specific software to entice the
world's most rapidly expanding information-technology
(IT) market. As open-source Linux software gains
momentum in Asia, Microsoft is pulling out the big guns
with a new operating system to counter the threat.
Microsoft announced a simplified version of its
flagship operating system, Windows XP, last month as a
low-cost alternative for developing technology markets.
According to the software giant, the system, officially
called Windows XP Starter Edition (SE), is "designed to
offer an affordable and easy-to-use entry point to the
Windows family of products that is tailored to local
markets, in local languages, and is compatible with a
wide range of Windows-based applications and devices".
Starting next month, Windows XP Starter Edition
will ship on new low-cost desktop personal computers
available through PC original equipment manufacturers
(OEMs) and Microsoft OEM distributors in Thailand,
Malaysia and Indonesia. Microsoft says it will be "the
most affordable Windows operating system offered to
date", though the price has yet to be announced. The
company says it will also work closely with governments
in a 12-month pilot program to study and evaluate the
benefits created. Industry analysts have described this
as preemptive move to keep market share that might
otherwise be taken away by rival software Linux.
However, even prior to any official release the
software has come under the scrutiny of several research
analysts who were critical of its limitations. One of
the most significant was the limitation on running
applications under Windows XP SE to only three
concurrently. Dion Wiggins, vice president and research
director of Gartner, said, "Microsoft could have made a
big difference with this product, but is more likely to
be seen as pushing the upgrade path and frustrating
users rather than delivering the value that this product
is capable of, due to unnecessary limitations." There
was also the fear that some users will resort to using
pirate full versions of the software rather than
accepting a product with so many restrictions.
This view conflicts with that of Microsoft,
which is aiming to reduce piracy by introducing more
cost-effective software to developing targeted markets.
It appears that Microsoft has done its homework after a
year-long survey of more than 1,000 computer users in
Thailand, the results of which were key factors in the
design of the new system and its operating parameters.
When released, the product will come bundled with
low-cost PCs from government-funded projects in Malaysia
and Thailand. This again may be viewed as directly
competing with the existing Linux software that is
currently offered for free under such schemes.
The progress of Linux in Asia, more
significantly the development of a localized standard
version of the software called Asianux, has caused quite
a stir in Microsoft's research labs. Asianux is a Linux
server operating system that was co-developed by Chinese
leading Linux vendor Red Flag Software Co Ltd and
Japanese Linux vendor Miracle Linux Corp at Oracle's
research center in Beijing. It aims at the
common-standard Enterprise Linux platform for systems in
Asia. While this software does not directly compete with
Windows XP SE, it does emphasize the lengths gone to in
the struggle for domination over the Asian IT market.
Enterprises in China and Japan are expected to
choose Asianux as their primary operating platform, as
well as companies in South Korea. Chris Zhao, Red Flag's
acting president, is confident that the situation is set
to change. "We have been in discussions with Korean
partners regarding Asianux. We should be able to decide
on a Korean partner within two months," reporters were
told at the Oracle OpenWorld technology conference held
in Shanghai in July. "Asianux is a milestone in the
maturation of Linux in the entire region," said Charles
Phillips, Oracle's co-president, adding: "Linux already
has a lot of momentum throughout Asia before this, and
now it's going to accelerate."
Several leading
IT companies such as Dell, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD),
NEC, Sun Microsystems and Hewlett-Packard (HP) have all
expressed their willingness to support Asianux, with
more than 40 vendors having signed up for certification
already. Overall Linux growth in Asia is expected to
continue significantly over the next few years.
According to IDC Japan statistics, the Linux market in
China is expected to reach US$41.9 million by 2008, and
in Japan $105 million by 2007.
With more now
than ever to play for in Asia, software companies are
developing specialized products, which can only mean
more options available to both the individual and the
corporation. Price and compatibility seem to be the
greatest issues that Asian consumers face when
considering the implementation of new software. The
Asian market is no longer prepared to pay Western prices
for these products and software developers are finally
taking notice. The success of Microsoft's "lite",
Asian-friendly version of Windows has yet to be seen.
This can also be said for the increase of Linux
acceptance throughout the region. The one fact that is
known is that the competition will continue to grow
stronger.
(Copyright 2004 Asia Times Online Ltd.
All rights reserved. Please contact content@atimes.com for
information on our sales and syndication policies.)
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