Free Windows doesn't stop Linux rush

Apparently, because Iran refuses to abide by international copyright laws, pirated copies of Windows make the product free and everyone uses it.

But according to Mohammad Sephery-Rad, the man in charge of the Islamic regime's computer systems, there had to be a wide scale move to Linux in the interests of long-term politics and security.

He said that there was no guilt in using pirated software, we assume that would be because you are only cheating Satan, i.e. the United States, when you use it.

However Iran is trying to gain entry into the World Trade Organisation (WTO), a step that would entail respect of international intellectual property laws.

This would mean paying Satan a lot of money to legitimise all the software. The Iranians don't want to do that as they claim VoleWare has too many backdoors and security weaknesses that are always being patched, so it is not secure.

If it is free you are prepared to turn a blind eye to the problem, but if you have to pay for it you tend to want a bit more for your cash. Iran is still under US sanctions so it makes software from US companies difficult to get, so they are considering shifting the country to Linux, Sephery-Rad said.

He added that most people have come to the conclusion that sticking to an operating system controlled by one company was dangerous. "Microsoft is like having a car where the bonnet is welded shut," he told AFP. µ