Did Vietnam take open source too far?

It's what every red-blooded capitalist with a Microsoft button (little black squares with "G: The Chairman" in white) most fears, and rails against here and elsewhere, especially when we talk about open source in the developing world.

Mandate open source? Force everyone to use Linux? That's...that's...communist! Can they do that?

Yes, they can. If, like Vietnam, they're communist to begin with.

Actually you don't have to be communist to do what Vietnam has done, which is to mandate use of Linux on all government servers and an open source application stack, including Open Office, Firefox, and Thunderbird on PCs by mid-year.

But it helps.

Question is does this help or hurt open source? Vietnam now has about 86 million people, and as knowledge filters down (training is included in the directive) it could bring new support, at least some new help with ongoing QA.

One more important point, from Minister of Information Le Doan Hop. (Had he mandated use of Apple would we call him iHop?) He wants stores to stop pirating commercial applications in favor of free open source downloads.

On the other hand, do we want open source associated with the government of Vietnam, a word which still sends shudders through conservative (and ex-military) hearts, nearly 35 years after the end of what folks there call "the American War?"

I don't know, but what is really happening? A government agency wants government applications to interoperate, and government workers to comply with Western software licenses.

Can Chairman Bill really object to that? Can you?