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Free software industry growing fast

The production value of Taiwan's free software industry is expected to reach NT$15 billion (US$494 million) this year, the Industrial Development Bureau said yesterday.

Leu Jang-hwa (呂正華), director of the bureau's Information Technologies Division, said that the local free software industry's production value amounted to NT$10.6 billion last year, a 73 percent increase compared with the previous year, with continued growth expected in the future.

The free software sector, which is expected to create more commercial opportunities for local businesses, is one of the emerging industries that the government has been actively promoting, Leu said.

The advent of the Web 2.0 era has made it easier for innovators to obtain and develop free software online and create new business models in Taiwan, many of which are on exhibit this week at the Softex Computer Show, he said.

The bureau has assisted information software companies and organizations, including the Chinese Open Systems Association, udnDigital (聯經數位), Axtronics Technologies Inc (文佳科技), IT education company Gjun (巨匠) and TransStep Technologies Ltd (跨越科技), in setting up a "Free Software Products" booth at the show to display free software applications for governments, businesses and schools.

The annual exhibition runs until Monday at Exhibition Hall 1 of the Taipei World Trade Center.
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