Abstract
The open-source software movement is gaining increasing momentum in China. Of the limited numbers of open-source software in China, Red Flag Linux stands out most strikingly, commanding 30 percent share of Chinese software market. Unlike the spontaneity of open-source movement in North America, open-source software development in China, such as Red Flag Linux, is an orchestrated activity wherein different levels of government play a vital role in sponsoring, incubating, and using open-source software, most conspicuously, Red Flag Linux. While there are no reports on open-source course management system in China, there are reports on the study and use of Western open-source course management systems for instruction and learning in Chinese higher education institutions. This paper discusses the current status of open-source software in China, including open-source course management software and associated tools and resources. Importantly, it describes the development model of Red Flag Linux, the most successful open-source software initiative in China. In addition, it explores the possibility of Chinese higher education institutions joining efforts to develop China’s own open-source course management system using the open-source development model established in North America. A timeline of major open-source projects of significance underway in China is provided. The paper concludes with a discussion of the potential for applying the open-source software development model to open and distance education in China.
Highlights
There are increasing reports related to open-source software initiatives undertaken in China
Different levels of Chinese Governments have begun to install open-source software. To help in this initiative, the Chinese Ministry of Information founded the open-source Software Promotion Alliance to encourage the development of China's open-source software industry (Marson, 2005)
What are the key issues of open-source movement in China? How does – or will – open-source work there? What are advantages and disadvantages of applying open-source to Chinese higher education, and to open and distance learning in China in particular? Through telephone and email communications with various scholars in China, coupled with an in-depth analysis of related reports, publications, and other data acquired from the Internet on the current status of open-source software development and associated open-source models in China, we explore some answers to the above questions and the potential for a development model that may be applied to higher education, and, to open and distance learning in China, in particular
Summary
There are increasing reports related to open-source software initiatives undertaken in China. Another interesting feature is that those open-source projects in existence, most notably the Red Flag Linux, have been initiated, developed, and distributed by a software research institution under China Academy of Sciences, with limited, if any, contribution from higher education institutions.
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