open source - Linux to benefit from acquisition rule

The open source operation system Linux is likely to gain market share on Microsoft as China will implement new rules for the acquisition of software, media reports say. A quarter of the US$ 30 billion governmental market for software will have to be spent on domestic purchases, according to the law that is expected to be in force this summer.
While still courting overall market leader Microsoft, China has been very active in trying to reduce its dependence on one supplier for software.
The struggle between corporate giant Microsoft and its 'open source' competitor has developed in an almost ideological struggle within the IT-community, with China often choosing sides for Linux. Linux allows independent software developers to build their own applications on top of their operation system for computers, while Microsoft has been trying to push independents out of the market or integrate them into their own systems, while forcing them to give up indepence.