Interesting read. One of the most important reason I use open source software as opposed to proprietary ones is the confidence that open source software will not try to do anything evil. I believe that message can reach China also.
The other day I was in my advisor's office and he said "let me show you something you've probably never seen before: a fully legal version of Chinese Windows!".
A number of reasons: Everyone else is using windows, you're familiar with windows, all your software runs on windows, and installing Ubuntu requires a lot of downloading when a version of Windows is a cheap disk from a local store.
The insight 2 about how low the expectation is in software stability is interesting because it implies a high expectation in the raw responsiveness of software. And thus why Google Chrome picks up so fast in China. When Firefox slows down, even if it didn't response in a few seconds, people will try to nuke their browser process because they think that the software is dead or malfunctioned.
There is also no one, single China. Thinking about my time here and what I've observed, let me share what I've found a Firefox user in China is probably like.
Firefox users have much in common with GMail users. They're often involved in IT related industries, or at least higher technology industries. They choose Firefox as they value a higher quality browser, like they choose GMail for a more trusted email solution with a greater feature set. They often speak English at work. They don't run Linux, that's far more niche. They're probably post-25 - not that Firefox/GMail is an older thing, but it is a self-discovered/word-of-mouth thing. They're technology influencers and are probably interesting in owning an iPhone for the feature set rather than the fashion statement. Many would probably also be interested in Android opposed to the bulk of China which may not have not heard of it (yet - wait for the Baidu edition). They're white-collar professionals. They might wear dockers and shirts to work, maybe a jersey in colder weather, maybe jeans. They probably don't primarily consume English/Western media but they might not be wholesale consumers of mainstream Chinese media; a critical eye would be thrown on some discussions, especially post-Sichuan earthquake and revelations, and Sanlu and other food crises. They might not use QQ (a popular MSN/ICQ like IM program), which really is saying something in China. They might have once used Twitter, but don't seek to 'jump the wall'.
In short, they're savvy, sophisticated consumers. But as mentioned in the article, the 'Internet experience' in China is quite different from the West, and convergence shouldn't be assumed. I look forward to the next post.
China's struggle for a free and better web is more of a political issue than a technological issue. I praise the good intent of people at Mozilla, but fear the task is much more complex than it seems to be.
10 comments
[ 3.8 ms ] story [ 43.2 ms ] threadThe insight 2 about how low the expectation is in software stability is interesting because it implies a high expectation in the raw responsiveness of software. And thus why Google Chrome picks up so fast in China. When Firefox slows down, even if it didn't response in a few seconds, people will try to nuke their browser process because they think that the software is dead or malfunctioned.
Firefox users have much in common with GMail users. They're often involved in IT related industries, or at least higher technology industries. They choose Firefox as they value a higher quality browser, like they choose GMail for a more trusted email solution with a greater feature set. They often speak English at work. They don't run Linux, that's far more niche. They're probably post-25 - not that Firefox/GMail is an older thing, but it is a self-discovered/word-of-mouth thing. They're technology influencers and are probably interesting in owning an iPhone for the feature set rather than the fashion statement. Many would probably also be interested in Android opposed to the bulk of China which may not have not heard of it (yet - wait for the Baidu edition). They're white-collar professionals. They might wear dockers and shirts to work, maybe a jersey in colder weather, maybe jeans. They probably don't primarily consume English/Western media but they might not be wholesale consumers of mainstream Chinese media; a critical eye would be thrown on some discussions, especially post-Sichuan earthquake and revelations, and Sanlu and other food crises. They might not use QQ (a popular MSN/ICQ like IM program), which really is saying something in China. They might have once used Twitter, but don't seek to 'jump the wall'.
In short, they're savvy, sophisticated consumers. But as mentioned in the article, the 'Internet experience' in China is quite different from the West, and convergence shouldn't be assumed. I look forward to the next post.
No waiting needed. Chinese Android ROM, complete overhall of UI, far more iPhone like, installable on any Android device.
Unofficial English site: http://miui-dev.com/
Chinese: http://www.miui.com/