Yes, please go home, Microsoft
Posted by Wesley on
Some of you may have heard about how Microsoft is considering pulling Windows or delay new versions of it from South Korean market if the Korean Fair Trade Commission's final ruling about the recent investigation turns out to be unfavourable for it (Korean news article equivalent). I, for one, greatly encourage Microsoft to get their filthy Windows out of here.
Currently, dependency on Microsoft products in the computing environment in South Korea is unusually high. This is greatly evident on the internet: many prominent websites, including government ones, basically lock out browsers other than Internet Explorer by using ActiveX plugins for all sorts of things. Most domestically developed online games have clients developed only for Windows platform. Heck, even the popular word processor, Hangul Word Processor (HWP), hasn't gotten a Mac version out since.... 1997. The software is largely a Windows fare now.
Talk about hostile environment for alternative platforms. The points I've listed above precisely cause hindrance of adoption of Mac computers or Linux operating system. As much as I'd love to get a Mac for my parents, they won't be able to surf most of the internet with it, so I can't do that yet.
If Microsoft is suddenly out of the picture, there will be short-term inconveniences, but I do not believe any of the problems are insurmountable. The ActiveX controls used for online banking and transactions can be replaced or reprogrammed to alternate designs. Shinhan Bank has already had a Mac version of such client for the customers for quite some time and other banks simply need to adopt the framework. Games from Blizzard, including StarCraft have Mac versions anyway. Domestic online games should follow these examples and port their games to other platforms. There have been on-and-off rumours of HWP getting a new Mac version. The company needs to get their acts together and release that.
KFTC should never bow down to the petty threats Microsoft makes and press on with the rulings. South Korea can survive, and eventually thrive without the contamination of Microsoft platform.