Expect GNU/Linux to Rise Sharply in China
But Red China won't trust Red Hat (IBM), which works for the Pentagon and keeps the "secret sauce" for its OS secret (just what Americans accused China of doing with its distros)
GNU/Linux enthusiasts, such as ourselves, have something worth celebrating, seeing these trends in China (Windows down sharply this year) and setting aside politics.
Will GNU/Linux usage grow? Probably... by a lot. Why? OEMs like Huawei (see "China's Huawei suspected of links to bribery in EU Parliament"; it's days old). This report ("Huawei's Microsoft Windows license for PCs expires this month, company launching PCs with Harmony OS") notes: "While HarmonyOS could be a viable solution for China, without Windows, Huawei's laptops wouldn't gain much traction in Europe and the U.S..." (probably false*)
However the more interesting article ("Huawei MateBook D 16 Linux is on sale, cheaper than Windows edition") says:
Huawei has unveiled a new MateBook D 16 Linux Edition and kept it on the sale shelf. The device comes with a major change over the previous model. It has dropped the support for Windows and runs on the Linux operating system.
The company’s senior official, Richard Yu, said earlier that the next-gen PCs won’t run on Microsoft Windows. But before switching to the self-developed OS, the company is trying to adapt to the Linux operating system for its top-end notebooks.
While Huawei smartphones and tablets run on HarmonyOS, the company’s notebook line relies on foreign technologies (Windows OS and Intel chips). However, Microsoft’s license to supply Windows to Huawei will expire this month and won’t be renewed due to strict U.S. trade export regulations.
It's interesting that Tom's Hardware chose not to mention the GNU/Linux angle here. As if it's not happening, or perhaps like it's supposed to remain "hidden". █
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* "I disagree with their assertion," an associate notes. "Most people neither know nor care about the OS and will use what comes with the computer without concern. Tom's Hardware is wrong on this one." The article says "Microsoft's supply license to Huawei expires this month, so the company can no longer legally produce and sell PCs with the Windows operating system", but why did Tom's Hardware not mention GNU/Linux?