Open Source: Toward Innovations through Educational Development in China

This paper describes the author's personal viewpoints toward open source software, particularly for the educational development in China. The current status of China is presented to explain why open source is critical within the Chinese educational domain. We believe that open source is suitable not only for financial reasons, but also because it will provide an efficient solution for China to establish an innovative environment whilst promoting intellectual capacities. The benefits of using open source are ideal for the current situations in the Chinese educational system. In this paper, one example is given about the promotion activities of the open source software Scilab (SCILAB(c)INRIA-ENPC) in the Chinese educational domain since 2001. Activities demonstrate that open source ideas and practices will have a great impact in China. Lessons and progress are demonstrated from these activities. The final goal of the Chinese educational development is to increase innovati...