Windows 8 Business Use: Local OS Software Firms Turn To Linux, Private Firms Want 'Preferential Policies' To Prevent State-Run Monopoly

Windows 8 Business use has been banned from Chinese government computers. This leaves an open door policy for OS makers to come into a huge personal computing market. Since China has the world's largest population, it is safe to assume it may have the biggest logistics, Government records and computers to keep track of this information.

China is touted to have its own OS companies, the Standard Software Co and National Fundamental Software of China Ltd, but both of these take a long time to get a product out into the market after prolonged period of tests.

The Central Government Procurement Center banned Windows 8 OS from tablets, laptops and desktop PCs of state run offices and did not reveal if other Windows products were not to be used by China's government personnel.

Chinese OS vendors have already jumped on the 'Linux' bandwagon following the Windows 8 ban, saying that Linux is close enough to Windows to be used by government offices:

The computer firm CSS said in a statement, "There are differences between Windows and Linux, but we are trying to make consumers feel it's almost the same when using our products." CSS is a subsidiary of state-run businesses China Electronics Corp and China Electronic Technology Group Corp.

CSS continued to say in the statement, "Neokylin Linux OS is "a safe and controlled product that meets the security demands for government, defense and other confidential fields".

Another expert Tan Xiaosheng, a senior manager with IT company Qihoo 360 Technology Co Ltd, said that it private software companies are capable of producing reliable OS systems. However, favorable market conditions should enable companies to thrive and not be second-grade to state run competition.

"Many of China's IT giants have enough money to run an OS business. What they expect is preferential policies," Tan said, .

He added, "failures may recur if the country's OS market is dominated only by a few State-owned companies," reports newsasia.one