South Korean boost for Linux

The South Korean government is to provide over £1.5m to government agencies to encourage them to adopt Linux and other open source software, according to reports.

The Asian country is to launch a government-wide campaign to increase the use of open source software in the public sector, including the provision of a total of 3 billion won (£1.56m) to government agencies that want to use non-proprietary software, according to IT news site CIO Today.

The market for open source software is growing rapidly across Asia. Earlier this month research firm IDC reported that revenues for Linux licences and maintenance in China reached $9.3m in 2004, an increase of 20 percent over 2003.