Beijing Allegedly Dumps Windows 2000 for Linux

Controversy surrounds a report published in
the Yangcheng Evening News claiming that
Microsoft’s
Windows 2000 operating system will be barred from use by mainland ministries
because of security flaws.

The report initially surfaced in Wednesday’s edition of the
Guangzhou-published newspaper, claiming that the yet-to-be-released
Microsoft operating system would be eschewed in favor of
mainland-developed
systems.

It also said some specialists believed heavy reliance on some
Microsoft systems could lead to security leaks and make
government computers more vulnerable to viruses.

Microsoft quickly issued a rebuttal to what they described as
“unsubstantiated media reports that the Chinese
government is planning to rule out use of the Microsoft Windows 2000
operating system in its departments.”

Microsoft added that “Microsoft would like to clarify that
Microsoft China has not received any notification regarding such a
decision.”

The US software giant also said several Chinese government agencies are
currently using beta
versions of Windows 2000 in preparation for upgrading their systems, and
that they
had received positive response from the Chinese government
agencies testing Windows 2000.

According to a Reuters report, the Yangcheng Evening News
quoted unnamed officials as saying the country’s important government
ministries would use a new software
platform known as “Red Flag-Linux”, which was developed by Chinese
researchers and is based on the Linux operating
system.

The Yangcheng Evening News achieved international notoriety in April last
year when it registered its opposition to NATO airstrikes in Kosovo by printing a photo-illustration of President Clinton doctored to make him
look
like Adolf Hitler.

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