中 Open Source in

China
國
J Aaron Farr
The JadeTower Corp
The Apache Software Foundation
farra@apache.org
 言知
者者
道
不 不
德知 言
經
 言知
者者
Those who know don’t talk,
Those who talk don’t know

道
不 不
德知 言
經
 有 無 名 道
名 名 可 可
萬 天 名 道
物 地 非 非
之 之 常 常
道
德 母 始 名 道
經
 有 無 名 道
The tao that can be told
is not the eternal Tao名 名 可 可
The name that can be named
萬 天 名
is not the eternal Name. 道
The unnamable is the物 地real.非
eternally 非
Naming is the origin
之 之 常
of all particular things. 常
道
德 母 始 名 道
經
中國
A Tour of China
China By The Numbers

No. 1 in FDI at around $60 billion since 2002

Avg 9.4% annual GDP growth rate for 25 years

Currently 4th largest economy

Will surpass UK, Germany, Italy, and France by the

end of the decade

China By The Numbers
Figure 2
Foreign Direct Investment into China
U.S Dollars in Billions
to misunderstandings and a mismatch of
• Midsize. Fast-growing as today’s China is
notes a 2005 estimated GDP of US$1.8 t
no more than a midsize economic power
growth trends hold, it will not catch up w
Figure 1
2020 and the US before 2040. That is, fo
Tomorrow’s Giants
planning
The largest economies in 2050 horizon they will be competing
economy similar to European nations suc
Italy and Germany.
• Extreme contrasts. Although the scale of
market is indeed huge, the contrasts are
While average annual income reaches US
in the eastern coastal cities (US$5,000 in
fraction of that in the smaller cities, and
areas of the interior have been barely touch
These account for nearly half of the Chin
While there is a burgeoning Chinese mid
mass consumer markets will likely requi
product market approaches from those co
used to at home.
Figure 2
The Chinese Century
“We are about to wake up to a new business
environment, with new ground rules for business
competition, fresh terms of employment, and novel
consumption patterns -- one that will redraw the battle
lines on the political, economic, and social fronts, and
one that will place new challenges at the doorstep of
nations, firms, and individuals.”

-Oded Shenkar
The Chinese Century
顏 非 子 顏 爲 一 顏
淵 禮 曰 淵 仁 日 淵
曰 勿 非 曰 由 克 問
回 言 禮 請 己 己 仁
雖 非 勿 問 而 復 子
不 禮 視 其 由 禮 曰
敏 勿 非 目 仁 天 克
請 動 禮 乎 下 己
事 勿 哉 歸 復
斯 聽 仁 禮
語 焉 爲
矣 仁
Yen Yüan asked about the meaning of 顏非 子 顏 爲 一 顏
humaneness. The Master said, "To 淵 禮 曰 淵 仁 日 淵
completely overcome selfishness and曰 keep
勿 to 非 曰 由 克 問
propriety is humaneness. If for a full day you
can overcome selfishness and keep to 回言 禮 請 己 己 仁
propriety, everyone in the world will雖 非to 勿
return 問 而 復 子
humaneness. Does humaneness come from
不
oneself, or from others?" Yen Yüan asked:
禮 視 其 由 禮 曰
"May I ask in further detail how this敏is to勿
be 非 目 仁 天 克
brought about?" Confucius said, "Do請 not 動 禮 乎 下 己
watch what is improper; do not listen to what
is improper; do not speak improperly 事and do 勿 哉 歸 復
not act improperly." Yen Yüan said, 斯 聽 仁 禮
"Although I am not so perspicacious,語 I will 焉 爲
apply myself to this teaching."
矣 仁
文化
Chinese Culture
American Chinese
individualist collectivist

egalitarian hierarchical

information oriented relationship oriented

reductionist holistic

sequential circular

seeks the truth seeks the way

argument culture haggling culture

Chinese Culture

關係
Chinese Culture

Guan-Xi
Chinese Culture

Relationships
以 牝 天 天 大
靜 常 下 下 國
為 以 之 之 者
下 靜 牝 交 下
勝 流
牡
 以 牝 天 天 大
靜 常 下 下 國
為 以 之 之 者
下 靜 牝 交 下
When a country obtains great power,
it becomes like the sea:勝 流
all streams run downward into it.
牡
The more powerful it grows,
the greater the need for humility.
软件市场
Software Exports

400

300

200

100

0
2000
Software Exports

4,000

3,000

2,000

1,000

0
2000 2005
Software Exports

15,000

11,250

7,500

3,750

0
2000 2005 2010
China Ministry of Information Industry
China IT Industry
Graduate 100,000 programmers each year

Domestic software market $5.8 billion in 2005, up 17%

Domestic IT services market $9.8 billion, up 20%

160 million Internet users, 8% of the population

Java developer hourly rate: under $10 USD

Intellectual Property

Yamaha: 5 out of every 6 motorcycles

DVD: 95% piracy rate

Software: 94% piracy rate

Economics of Piracy
Economics of Piracy

2002: 852 raids for illegal CD/DVD

Economics of Piracy

2002: 852 raids for illegal CD/DVD

99.5% convicted
Economics of Piracy

2002: 852 raids for illegal CD/DVD

99.5% convicted

764 fined under $1,000

Economics of Piracy

2002: 852 raids for illegal CD/DVD

99.5% convicted

764 fined under $1,000

Only 2 fined $5,000 - $10,000

報 大 味 事為
怨 小 無 無無
以 多 味 事為
德少
 報 大 味 事為
怨 小 無 無無
以 多 味 事為
Act without doing;
德少
work without effort.
Find taste in the tasteless
Think of the small as large
and the few as many.
Answer evil with inner power.
开源软件
Open Source in China
Analyst forecast China’s Linux market will grow ~30%
yearly from 2006-2010

Linux sales in 2005 were $21 million, 81% increase

or $11.8 million, up 27.1%

Other open source software sales $19 million

Linux market share increase 4.2% to 9.8% between

2003 and 2005
Open Source in China
China's open source communities
are relatively small and don't have
much influence. There is a lack of
big projects, few participants, and
little money.
- Hu Ke, CCID Analyst
Open Source in China
In China, Open Source = Linux

Server, embedded, mobile (30.3%)

Use of open source is increasing rapidly and broadly

Participation in open source is lagging behind

Government driven versus market driven

Concern about a “business model” for FOSS in China

Organizations
China Open Source Promotion Union

Hong Kong Open Source Software Center

Macau Open Source Software Association

Beijing Linux Users Group

Taipei Open Source Software Users Group

and many more...

Events
Linux World China 2004-2006

Open Source Software Summit, Beijing 2006

China Linux User Convention, Beijing 2006

Open Source Developers Conference, Taipei 2007

Open China, Open World, Guangzhou 2007

and many more...

Projects
RedFlag Linux

Pugs (Perl 6 in Haskell)

SVK

XOOPS

OpenFoundry: 703 projects, 4214 users

Many language tools, fonts, and translations

Challenges

Top down approach

Closed community, open source

Complexity in copyright laws

Communities tend to be very fragile

以吾以以以
此何無奇正
以事用治
知取兵國
其天
然下
哉
 以吾以以以
此何無奇正
以
If you want to be a great leader,
事 用 治
you must learn to follow the知 Tao. 取 兵 國
Stop trying to control.
其
Let go of fixed plans and concepts,
and the world will govern itself.
天
然下
哉
案例研究
Case Study: Xoops
Extensible Object Oriented Portal System

PHP + MySQL CMS

Started in 2001 with 2 developers (1 China, 1 Japan)

Currently 4 main developers, 149 committers

English, Chinese, French, Japanese, Brazillian, Spanish

and Italian communities
XOOPS China
15,000 registered users on Xoops.org.cn

Specific resources for Chinese users and a China

community model

Support and encouragement of consultants, use in

business and education

Feedback, translations, modules, bug fixes

http://stephesblog.blogs.com/beijingOSForum/XOOPS-TaiwenJiang.pdf
Competition vs Collaboration

Active effort to encourage global participation

Documentation Translation

Encouragement of localized groups

Coordination between communities

百 功 悠有信其 其 其 太
姓 成 兮不不次 次 次 上
皆 事 其信足侮 畏 親 下
謂 遂 貴焉焉之 之 而 知
我 言 譽有
自 之之
然
When the Master governs, the
people百 功 悠有信其 其 其 太
are hardly aware that he exists.
姓 成 兮不不次 次 次 上
Next best is a leader who is loved.
Next, one who is feared.
皆 事 其信足侮 畏 親 下
The worst is one who is despised.

If you謂
don't遂 貴
trust the焉 焉之 之 而 知
people,

我 言
you make them untrustworthy.
譽有
When自 之之
The Master doesn't talk, he acts.
his work is done,

we did然
the people say, "Amazing:
it, all by ourselves!"
香港
Apache at Hong Kong
OS Summit Asia

November 26-27, 2007

Cyberport, Hong Kong

In cooperation with the Eclipse Foundation

CFP Soon!
謝謝
Thank You!

J Aaron Farr
farra@apache.org
cubiclemuses.com