Russian IT Decision Makers Say "Microsoft Who?"

With interest from "Russian IT Chiefs" IBM is gearing up to release PCs in Eastern Europe Running Linux as opposed to Windows.  Obviously, this represents a thorn in MS's side, who is trying to get their own file format recognized as an international standard.

Here are the details, from reuters.com

 

HANOVER, Germany (Reuters) - IBM has teamed up with partners in Austria and Poland to offer Microsoft-free (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) personal computers for the eastern European market, IBM said in a statement on Tuesday.

International Business Machines Corp (IBM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said it was offering the PCs based on the open-source Linux operating system together with Red Hat (RHT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) software distributor VDEL of Austria and Polish distributor and services firm LX Polska in response to demand from Russian IT chiefs.

The PCs will include IBM's Lotus Symphony software based on the Open Document Format, a rival format to Microsoft's Office Open XML document format, which the latter is trying to get adopted as an ISO internationally approved standard.

...

Russia, where many large corporations and public-service bodies are building large computer systems for the first time, is emerging as a key battleground between Microsoft and rivals offering open-source alternatives.

...

It said chief information officers from Russian organizations including the Ministry of Defence, airline Aeroflot (AFLT.MM: Quote, Profile, Research) and private bank Alfa Bank had been among those who had requested an open-source PC.

 

Since the days of Sputnik, I don't think that anyone in the U.S.A. (at least any of us civilians) have really looked at Russia or Eastern Europe as technology innovators.  And even though they aren't producing a new computer system or file format, they're sending a signal.  They're saying that cross-compatibility is important to them.  They're also saying that price is important.  By going with open source, they give themselves the ability to go to a far larger number of potential lowest bidders when they look for new applications.  Yes, Microsoft is releasing "software blueprints," but Linux has been open source for...ever.  There's certainly a head start for developers. 

Granted, those who are setting up an infrastructure for the first time have an advantage; the technology is there and they just have to choose.  For a lot of companies in the States a Miscrosoft solution (an entire network that relies solely on MS products) was a default, not a choice.  The Russian Ministry of Defence and its public sector compatriots have an actual choice between MS and Open Source.

They've chosen.