It will be interesting to see how this plays out. 1) Will Microsoft go back to supporting Windows XP? 2) Will the Chinese government look to sponsor a customised Linux distro for government use? 3) Is this just a bit of table thumping to reduce the licensing cost of Windows 8? If there is some Chinese Govt distro developed, it could be very good news for the Linux world in getting better hardware drivers. It will increase the pressure on hardware vendors to either provide binary drivers or more information on how to write drivers. Subject: [wlug] China Looks To Linux As Windows Alternative "Once again, after the Red Flag Linux effort that petered out this year, China is considering Linux to sort out its pressing Windows XP issue. The Windows 8 ban by China's government procurement agency and promises of official support may help." -- source: http://linux.slashdot.org/story/14/05/27/1916202