The Open Source Development Lab, the Beaverton, Ore.-based group
dedicated to advancing platforms like Linux, continued its surge in Asia
with the signing of its second Chinese member.
OSDL announced that Beijing Software Testing Center (BSTC), which it
called China’s largest software testing organization, has joined the group.
The company plans to focus on Linux testing and the development of
internationalization features for the open-source operating system.
BSTC takes its place alongside OSDL’s first
Chinese member, Beijing Co-Create Open Source Software, which signed on
in January.
BSTC was founded in 2002 by the Beijing Government Science and Technology
Commission and the Beijing Products Quality and Inspection Institute. BSTC
has been part of China’s rapidly growing export software industry, which is
preparing products for global markets.
According to Stuart Cohen, chief executive officer of OSDL, the company
“will bring a wealth of knowledge about the use of Linux in China and its
potential for use in the data center and on the desktop.”
OSDL is making a major thrust to sign up Chinese software vendors in a
bid to capitalize on the popularity of Linux in the region. According to
OSDL, Linux sales in China are rising at a 40 percent-plus clip, from $6.3
million in 2002 to an expected $38.7 million in 2007.
OSDL is also gaining ground in the non-China portions of Asia. The group
added a new Japanese member, IP Telecom K.K. last week. OSDL’s roster of Japanese computer houses currently
includes Fujitsu, Hitachi, IBM Japan, Intel Japan, Miracle Linux,
Mitsubishi, NEC and Toshiba.