Chinese TurboLinuxTM Expected to be Key Catalyst in
Accelerating Linux Adoption in China
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. May 3, 1999 Pacific HiTech, the leader in
high-performance Linux, today reinforced its position as a global
provider of Linux solutions by announcing the availability of
TurboLinux, its flagship product, in Chinese. The company is the
industry’s first major distributor shipping a Chinese version of
Linux. More than 110,000 units of TurboLinux have already been
shipped in the People’s Republic of China, said Cliff Miller, CEO
of Pacific HiTech.
“Linux will help drive the expected explosive growth in
computers in China,” said Miller, company founder and a former
lecturer at Zhejiang University, one of China’s top science and
technology universities. “We are admirers of Chinese innovation and
culture and honored to work with the Chinese in advancing
technology in China.”
Pacific HiTech is the dominant Linux company in Asia and
TurboLinux was voted “Best Software Product for 1998” by Byte
Magazine in Japan. The company recently opened a new office in
Beijing as part of its push into China. “Initially we will be
targeting the government and corporate markets,” Miller said. “We
are also making significant investments in China to speed the
adoption of Linux as an enterprise-ready operating system.”
Pacific HiTech will be providing investment and technical
support to establish the Linux Research Center at Qinghua in
Beijing, China’s top science university. The Linux research center
will support the CERNET data network (the original vehicle for the
Internet’s entrance into China). Pacific HiTech is also partnering
with two of China’s leading computer companies to help establish
the world’s largest Linux call support center.
According to International Data Corporation (IDC), there are
more than 10 million Linux users worldwide. In 1998 the Linux
market grew by 212 percent and nearly 18 percent of all server
hardware licenses sold last year were Linux, according to IDC.
Official Linux numbers are not published for China but Dan Feng
and Sean Chen, authors of the best-selling Linux Bible in China,
estimate that more than half a million people are already using the
open source operating system. With Linux now available in Chinese,
the pair predicts that Linux use in China will grow
exponentially.
A free download version of TurboLinux Chinese is available at
more than 10 FTP sites in China. TurboLinux Chinese, with a list
price of $49.95, is available in North America direct from the
Pacific HiTech web site (www.turbolinux.com).
About Pacific Hi-Tech and TurboLinux
Pacific HiTech, founded in 1992 and privately held, is the world’s
fastest growing Linux company. In 1998 Pacific HiTech shipped more
than one million units of Linux. The company produces a suite of
high-performance consumer and corporate Linux products called
TurboLinux for Intel workstation and server platforms that are
available in English, Japanese and Chinese. Pacific HiTech has
strategic relationships with leading hardware and software vendors
in Asia and North America and its TurboLinux product suite is
supported globally by IBM and Hewlett-Packard. Headquartered in San
Francisco, Pacific HiTech has offices in Tokyo, Beijing and Sydney.
It can be found on the Internet at www.turbolinux.com or, in Japanese,
at www.pht.co.jp.
Editorial Contacts: Libra White Michele Arnold McGrath/Power Public Relations (408) 727-0351 libraw@mcgpr.com michelea@mcgpr.com