Microsoft threatening to pull out of South Korea.

linspire (formerly lindows) offers to move in at 1/4 billion in savings

[GrendelKhan TSU]

Been some lots of talk recently about Microsoft's hardline response in Korea to anti-trust suits in asia and Linspire is calling their bluff.

Microsoft has told South Korea that if the KFTC (Korean Fair Trade Commission) forces Microsoft to remove code or redesign Windows for the Korean market, it might withdraw Windows from the Korean market. In response, Linspire has offered to license every Korean computer with its Linux operating system.

I don't know if anything would come of it other than a few headlines...but its interesting in the least. Linux is the next obvious choice if MS left the building.

And MOST SIGNIFICANTLY is this:

The former head of Microsoft Korea, Ko Hyun-jin, is now president of the government-sponsored Korea IT Industry Promotion Agency and is an avid supporter of Linux.

the buck still stops with govt agencies here....doesn't matter if you are Samsung or Microsoft giants. If you don't have the political backing/connection...

you are screwed.

full article:
[eweek.com...]

[bill]

...but haven't you told us that +90% of all Korean websites require ActiveX and the IE browser? A switch to Linux would make the entire Korean web obsolete wouldn't it? I'm exaggerating a bit here, but it doesn't sound like the entire country can just make the switch.

What's the Linux penetration in Korea now?

[GrendelKhan TSU]

yup. activeX usage is insane here. which is why I think MS wouldn't actually pull out. Cause if they think that's why they have leverage to strong arm the govt or whomever....they are wrong (imo). maybe they don't care cause its a "small market" in some regards...but I don't think any big company takes Korean internet/tech anything that much for granted.

I've mentioned the extreme influence (if often only in the background) the govt still has at the end of the day.
That holds most true for this kinda of stuff... if it ever came where someone had to decide between hundreds of thousands of sites and untold millions of dollars in costs to use an activeX alternative and/or caving into MS because of an ultimatum. ...

you could bank money on the fact that Koreans would still give them "the bird", bear down, suck up the "cost and inconveniece" and come up with the first successful anti-MS internet economy. (greased palms under the table stuff notwithstanding .. which is the only reason I would bet MS would "win" such a fight.) All govt agencies already do NOT use MS office. They use a local program called hangul. which is a total pain in the butt...but no way around it.

so if the govt decided it had a new anti-activeX or whatever initiative and they made a "cause" outta it ..... then MS just made the worst decision ever for any market.

look at the Worldcup or huge demonstations... two examples opposites in terms "causes" but the same in terms EXTREME unity for something Koreans get riled about.

the browser influence in this game is complicated for sure. But I have said it before...and I'll repeat the sentiment.

if FF became seamless with current sites and somehow activeX stuff....AND became supersupereasy to get (like partnered with a huge local distribution partner --- eg: some portal said "we support FF! download it here!). then it would impossible to rip outta koreans hands.
which wouldn't be easy..but that's if things were done "naturally" and via normal business etc.

in this senario...MS could conceiveably be FORCING koreans (in whatever way) to take a stance and make an issue outta it. And if HISTORY has anything to say in this...it won't be what MS that comes out ahead. sooo many foreign companies have lost out to this fallacy.

Again, if it turns out to be a tiny headline and a lot of hot air (which I think they should HOPE it is), then I don't think it will be anything but "interesting" and someone somewhere getting some *ahem*side*ahem* deal outta it.

we'll see. :)