The company has announced that Java Desktop System (JDS) has been placed on the open source verification program for educational institutions by the Information Promotion Agency of Japan (IPA).
JDS, which features the open source StarOffice desktop productivity suite, will be tested for issues including security, integration, printer compatibility and accessibility of the interface by five institutions serving 2,000 students. JDS made it onto open source verification program after beating 10 rival desktop packages.
It’s just a pilot, but our hope is to broaden it out in education, the president of Sun Japan Dan Miller told ComputerWire. Miller noted JDS’s acceptance on government programs such as this helped Sun promote JDS among other governments and also among local PC manufacturers.
They [PC manufacturers] have has some resistance to considering alternatives to Microsoft, but the government’s help will open them up to the possibilities, Miller said.
