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Demophobe
Joined: 17 May 2004
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 Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 10:40 pm Post subject: I don't know how to title this. |
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Korea is railing against Vista and MS dominance in the Korean market, which was guaranteed years ago by their own actions.
This.....
| The Korea Times wrote: |
MS Web Browser Monopoly Weakens
By Cho Jin-seo
Staff Reporter
Korea's government Web sites are gradually veering away from accepting Microsoft's long-term dominance and moving toward supporting multiple PC platforms such as Mac and Linux.
A growing number of public organizations such as Korea Post, the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Government Legislation have agreed to open their Web sites to computer systems other than Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer. The Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs also has pledged to alter its e-government site to support multiple Web browsers.
The move was fueled by fierce protests from civic activists of the ``Open the Web'' movement, who are mostly Apple and Linux system users. They have criticized, blamed, and even threatened to sue government agencies for neglecting and fostering Korean Web services to be overly dependent on Microsoft's exclusive technology.
``We can clearly sense the wind of change from the public organizations,'' said Kim Kee-chang, a law professor of Korea University and a devoted Linux user, who is leading the Open Web movement. ``It will be the commercial banks who will resist it to the last.''
Until last year, most banking, stock trading, shopping, gaming and governmental Web sites in South Korea were designed to fit the Microsoft's Windows system and Internet Explorer browser only, leaving users of Apple computers, Linux systems and the Firefox browser helplessly abandoned.
As a result, fewer than 1 percent of computer users in South Korea use non-Microsoft systems, while the percentage is over 10 percent in other countries. Such heavy dependency on the Microsoft products has hindered healthy competition in the market and damaged the industry's growth, protestors say, causing South Korea to be ranked 20th among OECD nations in the software maturity category.
The home affairs ministry was the first to react to the voice of the Internet civil right activists. In a public hearing held in February, it promised to alter the e-government system, which issues official documents such as birth certificate, to be available to various PC platforms.
The Supreme Court was also fast to respond to the matter.
``Actually, I was filing documents to sue the Supreme Court. But when I called them, the official who is responsible for the Web site answered quickly that they would fix the system this year,'' Kim said. ``Then I decided to pick on the Ministry of Government Legislation. They also replied within 24 hours.''
Ironically, Microsoft itself has played a crucial role in the course of action with the introduction of its new Windows Vista system. Vista's enhanced personal security system blocks users from installing Active X programs, which it assesses to be easily imitated and abused by hackers.
``Thank you, Vista!'' an Apple Mac user said on the homepage of Open Web group. ``Things are getting a little more comfortable with Mac users since Vista made the government and private firms turn their eyes to other browsers and other operating systems.''
Still, most banks and other financial institutions are forcing users to install Active X programs on their PCs to use their online services. As the banks and the Korea Financial Telecommunication & Clearing Institute (KFTC) are private entities, it is the Ministry of Information and Communication that should supervise them not to be over-dependent on Microsoft products. But this fight won't be as easy, Kim says.
``We filed a request for a government audit on the ministry in February, and the result will come in mid-May,'' he said. ``If the inspectors ruled the ministry is not guilty of negligence, then we will go for a civil lawsuit.'' |
Versus reality...
| Kanai.net wrote: |
The S. Korean market is in a unique situation where decisions made long ago have created a consumer monoculture which is having unintended repercussions that are affecting anyone with a computer in South Korea. It is a fascinating story because it is true.
The history goes back to 1998, when the 128 bit SSL protocol was still not finalized (it was finalized by the IETF as RFC 2246 in Jan. '99.) South Korean legislation did not allow 40 bit encryption for online transactions (and Bill Clinton did not allow for the export of 128 bit encryption until December 1999) and the demand for 128 bit encryption was so great that the South Korean government funded (via the Korean Information Security Agency) a block cipher called SEED. SEED is, of course, used nowhere else except South Korea, because every other nation waited for the 128 bit SSL protocol to be finalized (and exported from the US) and have standardized on that.
In the early years of SEED, users downloaded the SEED plugin to their IE or Netscape browsers, either an Active X control or a NSplugin, which was then tied to a certificate issued by a Korean government certificate authority. (Can you see where this is going?) When Netscape lost the browser war, the NSplugin fell out of use and for years, S. Korean users have only had an Active X control with the SEED cipher to do their online banking or commerce or government.
So we end up in 2007, 9 years after SEED was created for Korean users, and one legacy of the fall of Netscape is that Korean computer/Internet users only have an Active X control to do any encrypted communication online. So in late 2006, a group of Korean computer/Internet users, Citizens Action Network at Open Web Korea, having documented the problem with accessibility of sites via anything other than Microsoft IE, have decided to sue the Korean government.
It gets worse.
Remember how Active X controls were and continue to be a significant vector of viruses and malware because Microsoft originally architected Active X to run by default instead of with a user action? Maliciously programmed websites would be able to automatically install software on users' computers just by visiting a web page in IE 6. In IE 7 and in Vista, Microsoft has re-architected Active X controls in such a way to make them "more safe" by requiring a user action for the control to run. This is obviously impacting every web site and company that uses active X controls on their websites, which include just about every website in Korea that handles any kind of secure transaction. Every online bank, every governmental agency, every ecommerce site. Without enough time to re-architect Korean websites, 3 S. Korean governmental ministries, the Ministry of Information and Communication, the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs, and the Financial Supervisory Service, warned S. Korean users that upgrading to Vista would disable the user from making any secure transaction online. Can you imagine spending thousands of dollars on a new machine (because the requirements of Vista generally require new hardware) and a new OS from Redmond only to be locked out of any secure transaction online? It's Kafkaesque.
To add insult to injury, the monopolist who absolutely controls the Korean market for computers won't delay the launch of Vista to alllow for Korean websites to re-code their sites. "We've been testing Vista with banks and other service providers since September, but we encountered more delays than we expected. We plan to release the product as scheduled."
Absolutely incredible.
A related problem is that KISA and Microsoft announce "plans to work together to improve computer security awareness" or "mark anniversary of cooperation with renewed pledge" when in fact the situation in 2007 is no better than it was in 2003 when KISA decided to "work with Microsoft." I can't tell who is the fox and which is the hen house, but either way, the two should not be near each other.
Another part of the Korea story that I cannot comprehend are articles about Linux in Korea. The Korean Army considering Linux. Kwangju City as "Linux City." If the Korean Army or Kwangju city cannot do any encrypted communications because their operating system of choice does not work with Active X controls, I'm not sure if this is hype or confusion.
To get the most depth and perspective on this topic, from the people in Korea who are suing the government, it's best to read the documents at Open Web Korea.
This issue with the launch of Vista and IE 7 and the work of thousands and thousands of web programmers in Korea who are feverishly working to reprogram their sites to work with Microsoft's new standards - do they realize that their efforts only bring them back to square 0 - there's no more heterogeneity in the Korean Internet market post-Vista than pre. The problem for Korean websites wasn't competition from MSN Korea, it was their sole dependence on infrastructure from Microsoft.
Korea will only get beyond this problem by 1) applying Korean laws on open standards to the certificate authorities, 2) reassigning new certificates which work with open web standards to all Koreans, 3) reprogramming all Korean websites to support 128 bit SSL which will allow for a heterogeneous marketplace of operating systems and web browsers. This is a herculean task and thus Korea stays hostage to Redmond.
Fascinating history. Unintended consequences and de-facto monopolies create costs too high to calculate and must be borne without question. |
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IlIlNine
Joined: 15 Jun 2005
Location: Gunpo, Gyonggi, SoKo
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| Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 3:15 am Post subject: |
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A victim of their own success.
Now, they really should have had the foresight to reimplement all of their security systems to non-proprietary ones, but ... you know, koreans and planning.
Still, this isn't really bad news. It's obvious that change is coming soon - XP will only be around for so long. Now Macs, Linux, and third party browsers will have a chance.
I'm just glad that Koreans didn't make their own browser. That would have been a damn sight more inconveniant. |
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SuperHero
Joined: 10 Dec 2003
Location: Superhero Hideout
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| Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 3:38 am Post subject: |
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| it's already happening. Some korean sites are now viewable in FF. |
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Demophobe
Joined: 17 May 2004
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| Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 6:33 am Post subject: |
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| IlIlNine wrote: |
A victim of their own success.
Now, they really should have had the foresight to reimplement all of their security systems to non-proprietary ones, but ... you know, koreans and planning.
Still, this isn't really bad news. It's obvious that change is coming soon - XP will only be around for so long. Now Macs, Linux, and third party browsers will have a chance.
I'm just glad that Koreans didn't make their own browser. That would have been a damn sight more inconveniant. |
Linux has always had a chance...it just sucked for far too long and it isn't out of the woods just yet.
The funny part is that they can consider going Mac or Linux, but just couldn't get it together when it mattered. Frankly, if they weren't so short-sighted, this wouldn't be an issue and people could make an honest conversion to a superior product rather than making a choice between 2nd or 3rd place. As it stands, they make MS seem like the bad guy and act as if Linux or Mac were going to save them from the oppressor. |
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IlIlNine
Joined: 15 Jun 2005
Location: Gunpo, Gyonggi, SoKo
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| Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 3:42 pm Post subject: |
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I'm not an MS junkie per se -- but I do think they make a decent product. If it was total garbage, most of the world wouldn't be using it, monopoly or no. Personally, given the choice, I'd stay with Windows.
Linux, while interesting (at least according to my experience with red hat a few years ago), was kind of a pain and limiting in terms of software, drivers, gaming, etc.
Macs are just too artsy fartsy. (how's that for a rational argument!).
But choice is good. On a basic level, all systems should be able to accomplish the same basic functions, especially in an age where spending money on the internet is so common. The Korean gov't deprived Koreans of that choice. Hopefully it will all open up sooner rather than later.
Unlike implementing software to recognize foreigner registration numbers, they sure have lots of incentive! |
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Demophobe
Joined: 17 May 2004
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| Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 5:21 pm Post subject: |
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| IlIlNine wrote: |
I'm not an MS junkie per se -- but I do think they make a decent product. If it was total garbage, most of the world wouldn't be using it, monopoly or no. Personally, given the choice, I'd stay with Windows.
Linux, while interesting (at least according to my experience with red hat a few years ago), was kind of a pain and limiting in terms of software, drivers, gaming, etc.
Macs are just too artsy fartsy. (how's that for a rational argument!).
But choice is good. On a basic level, all systems should be able to accomplish the same basic functions, especially in an age where spending money on the internet is so common. The Korean gov't deprived Koreans of that choice. Hopefully it will all open up sooner rather than later.
Unlike implementing software to recognize foreigner registration numbers, they sure have lots of incentive! |
Good post and agreed.
Choice is good, but Korea is responding to Vista like they were backed into a corner. Active X was seen as the threat it is a long time ago and as for the arrival of Vista and it's not supporting Active X, well again, that was a slow train coming. Ironic that one of the most wired countries on earth did it all essentially wrong.
I too am not an MS fanboy, but they do make a good product...well, usually. Vista is the latest Windows ME, IMO (thanks Superhero!) and will go down as a ho-hum venture. The SP1 better be chock full of goodies or people are going to be really disappointed. |
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