From: /m 

On Sun, 4 Jun 2006 16:49:16 -0400, "Rich Gauszka"
 wrote:

>
>"/m"  wrote in message
>news:ruf682t9vr38lhrvfqu14n4ridnfsat947{at}4ax.com...
>> On Sun, 4 Jun 2006 12:20:13 -0500, "Glenn Meadows"

>> wrote:
>>
>>>How long before the next Trojan/hacker attack targets the
>>>activation/de-activation function, and just plain turns each PC off,
>>>claiming that the actual valid key used, is invalid.
>>
>> How do we know the NSA doesn't already have that capability, for use
>> when needed....
>>
>> /m
>
>because the current administration hasn't outlawed Linux yet? 
>
>

Looks like China's getting ready.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2006/06/03/2003311446

===
[Chinese] Government says all new PCs must be Linux-friendly


The government-run Central Trust of China has mandated for the first time
that all desktop computers purchased from now on must be Linux-compatible,
demonstrating the government's desire to widen the nation's usage of open
source software.

"It is a global trend that Linux is gaining wider adoption due to its
lower costs and better adaptability," Mike Lin (???), a consultant at
the Taipei Computer Association (TCA), told the Taipei Times yesterday.

Taipei-based Central Trust -- whose operations include banking, insurance,
trade and warehousing -- is in charge of purchasing computers and other
equipment for government agencies and schools.

Central Trust commissioned TCA to run compatibility tests on desktop PCs
manufactured by bidding vendors to ensure their products are able to
operate on the Linux system.

The new requirement is in effect as of the 11th tender, which began last
month and runs through September, according to a report in the
Chinese-language Economic Daily yesterday.

About 120,000 desktops will be procured during the 11th and 12th tenders,
the report said.

"In the past, some of the procured computers did not support Linux,
therefore this new mandate signifies the government's push to reduce
reliance on the Windows operating system," Lin said.

Thirty-three desktop models from hardware vendors including Acer, Asustek,
Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard Taiwan, were certified Linux-compatible, while
four models each from Gigabyte Technology and Synnex Technology
International were still under evaluation, according to the newspaper
report.

In the legislative session held late last year, legislators reached an
additional consensus that there should be a 25 percent cut of procurement
budget on Microsoft's products across all government agencies, citing that
the solutions — which monopolize the market — are too expensive. In
response, Microsoft Taiwan Corp yesterday said that it respected the
government's decision for the Linux inclusion into desktops, as long as the
market is competing on a fair ground....
===

Since when does Microsoft compete on a fair ground?

 /m

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