Remembering the Future

via Associated Press A pair of Chinese and Japanese software companies announced a joint venture Wednesday aimed at developing a Linux-based platform for Asian markets that they hope will challenge Microsoft Corp.'s dominance. Chinese, Japanese and South Korean officials have expressed hopes for creating a product to compete with Microsoft's Windows operating system, reducing reliance on it and creating more opportunities for Asian companies. . . . Sato said that while it would be difficult to replace Windows operating systems for desktop PCs, he hoped Linux could dominate server operating systems for business and governments within as little as three years. Linux is an open-source system, meaning the code on which it is based is freely available to users who can contribute improvements. By contrast, Microsoft's source code is a company secret. Some Asian governments worry about security holes in Windows and dislike having to rely so heavily on a single foreign company for the development of their technology industries.