On Fri, Dec 05, 2008 at 12:10:35PM -0600, Dave Sherohman wrote:
> On Fri, Dec 05, 2008 at 08:35:20AM -0600, Florin Iucha wrote:
> > The title is bad, but the abstract is illuminating:
> > 
> >    Authorities in the Chinese city of Nanchang are compelling the city's
> >    Internet cafes to replace their Windows operating systems with Red
> >    Flag Linux -- and charging them about $726 for it as well. Some cafe
> >    owners are closing down rather than comply.
> > 
> > It's just some thugs shaking down businesses.
> 
>     The move to Linux is an effort to tighten censorship and step up
>     surveillance online, said Xiao Qiang, director of the China Internet
>     Project at the University of California-Berkeley.

No, it is not.  Since they are "installing" Linux at a greater cost
than the businesses _pay_ for WindowsXP at retail, they could mandate
that they only install a special slipstreamed edition with
$chinese_three_ideogram_agency keys near the NSA keys and everybody
would be just as happy (including BillG, whose coin counter would turn
a few more times as well).

>     "It mainly means [a] less secure and private communication
>     environment for netizens in those Internet cafes," Xiao said. "The
>     authorities are gaining more control."
> 
> Yeowch...  I have a feeling that, if this article is spread widely,
> these assertions will become standard anti-Linux FUD rather than
> recognizing that they apply only (if at all) to Red Flag Linux, not to
> Linux in general.

It's as relevant as and article pointing out that the guys who are
soaping your car at the stoplight just switched to using 3M and Windex
products.  But who knows, it might fly.  "Buy American!  Buy
Microsoft!"

Oh, brother...
florin

-- 
Bruce Schneier expects the Spanish Inquisition.
      http://geekz.co.uk/schneierfacts/fact/163
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