Red Flag Linux

Red Flag Linux

Screenshot of Red Flag Linux
Developer Red Flag Software
OS family Unix-like
Working state Discontinued
Source model Open source
Initial release 1.0 January 2000 (2000-01)[1]
Final release 8.0[2] / 23 April 2013 (2013-04-23)
Kernel type Monolithic kernel
Default user interface KDE Plasma Desktop
License Various
Official website www.redflag-linux.com

Red Flag Linux (Chinese: 红旗Linux) is a defunct Chinese Linux distribution developed by Red Flag Software. The distribution logo is Tux carrying a prominent red flag. As of 2009, the executive president of Red Flag Software is Jia Dong (贾栋).

Screenshot of Red Flag Linux Workstation version 5.0 in Japanese

Beside specialised solutions, Red Flag Linux had the following products:

The internal structure of Red Flag Linux is very similar to Red Hat Linux, using a similar installer. Visually, the desktop bears a high resemblance to that of Windows XP, ranging from its desktop theme to icons, which the distributor claims to ease the operating system transition.

History

Red Flag Linux first appeared in August 1999, when it was created by the Institute of Software Research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.[3] Financial help came from government-owned Shanghai NewMargin Venture Capital. In March 2001, Bloomberg News reported that CCIDNET Investment, a venture capital arm of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, had become Red Flag's second largest shareholder.

During a brief standoff with Microsoft in January 2000 in a year-long series of increasing tensions believed to have been tied to Microsoft's perceived mismanagement of its Microsoft Venus venture, Chinese government ministries were ordered to uninstall Windows 2000 from their computers in favor of Red Flag Linux.[4]

In January 2006, Red Flag Linux joined the Open Source Development Labs.[5]

Closure

On 10 February 2014, Red Flag Software terminated all employment contracts and closed down. The direct cause of the closure was cited as being the failure of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Software Research Institute to pay a 40 million yuan subsidy. The institute cited Red Flag's failure to complete a specific project, and general mismanagement, as reasons for not paying the subsidy.[6]

According to a research manager with IDC in Beijing, its downfall resulted from a lack of brand awareness and sustained investments, coupled with the rise of rivals.[6]

Nanchang Internet cafes

As of 3 December 2008, it has been reported that Internet cafes in Nanchang, since November 2008, have been required to install the Red Flag Linux as a replacement for pirated versions of the popular Microsoft Windows operating system, or switch to legitimate copies of Microsoft Windows. Radio Free Asia (which is funded by the U.S. government[7]) claimed that Chinese internet cafes were being required to switch to Red Flag Linux even if they were using genuine copies of the Windows OS.[8][9] This system is provided with a non-expiring support contract at the cost of 5000 yuan (~ US$850, February 2014) for all machines in the cafe.

An official spokesperson for Red Flag Linux clarified by stating that the announcement were targeted to the server-side and not the gaming-intensive (and therefore Windows demanding) client-side computers, and that in the original announcement, Microsoft Windows and Red Flag Linux were simply recommended platforms as they have been tested by the Bureau of Culture.[10][11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Linux Timeline". Linux Journal. 31 May 2006. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  2. ↑ "红旗桌面版 Red Flag inWise V8.0全新发布". 23 April 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  3. ↑ Shankland, Stephen (24 May 2007). "Chinese software company to tailor OpenOffice". CNet. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  4. ↑ IDG (23 February 2000). "Microsoft in China: Clash of titans". CNN. Archived from the original on 22 October 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
  5. ↑ Paul, Ryan (14 January 2006). "Red Flag Linux distributor joins OSDL". Ars Technica. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  6. 1 2 http://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1427823/chinese-software-pioneer-red-flag-bites-dust
  7. ↑ Jim Mann (30 September 1996). "After 5 Years of Political Wrangling, Radio Free Asia Becomes a Reality". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 1 April 2013. The new broadcast station, created by Congress to serve as an Asian counterpart to Radio Free Europe, started modestly and quietly Sunday, with a half-hour news broadcast to China.
  8. ↑ "China Internet cafes switching to Chinese OS". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 December 2008.
  9. ↑ http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/12/03/chinese-ordered-away-pirate
  10. ↑ "Chinese City Requires Net Cafes to Use Legitimate Software". 2 December 2008.
  11. ↑ 外媒报道断章取义 南昌网吧软件正版化被恶意渲染 (in Chinese). 5 January 2009.
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