Red Flag Linux

Red Flag Linux

Screenshot of Red Flag Linux
Company / developer Red Flag Software
OS family Linux
Working state Current
Source model Open source
Initial release 11 November 2005
Latest stable release 7.0 / May 20, 2009; 2 years ago (2009-05-20)
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 Chinese Linux distribution developed by Red Flag Software. Red Flag's logo is Tux carrying a prominent red flag.

The current executive president of Red Flag Software is Jia Dong (贾栋).

Contents

Description

Red Flag Linux 6.0 was published on September 29, 2007. Version 6.9 is based on the Linux distribution Asianux 3.0, which was released on September 22, 2007. It includes Linux 2.6.22.6, KDE 3.5.7 and X.Org 7.2.

Red Flag Linux Desktop 6.0 is intended to be a comprehensive desktop operating system and has some major improvements concerning installation, hardware, and multimedia support, as well as desktop configuration.

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

The internal structure of Red Flag Linux is very similar to Red Hat Linux, using a similar installer. The desktop of Red Flag Linux bears a high resemblance to that of Windows XP, ranging from its desktop theme to icons, which the distributor claims eases 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. Financial help came from government-owned Shanghai NewMargin Venture Capital. In March 2001, Bloomberg News reported that CCIDNET Investment, a VC arm of the Ministry of Information Industry, had become Red Flag's second largest shareholder.

During a brief standoff with Microsoft in January in a year-length series of increasing tensions believed to have been tied to Microsoft's perceived mismanagement of its Microsoft Venus venture, Chinese governmental ministries were ordered to uninstall Windows 2000 from their computers in favor of Red Flag Linux.[1]

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

Purpose

Red Flag Software Co., Ltd. (Red Flag Software) is focused on the development and marketing of Linux-based operating systems and application software on multiple platforms for the constantly growing base of Chinese technology users. Their goal is "Creating Incentives for Networking Life." The company will continue to develop a modern management pattern called the "Red Flag Way." This is client driven customization based on their business model involving free software.

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 however said that Chinese internet cafes were being required to switch to Red Flag Linux even if they were using genuine copies of the Windows OS.[2][3][4] This system is provided with a non-expiring support contract at the cost of 5000 yuan 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 not the gaming-intensive 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.[5][6]

See also

Notes

External links