China's Red Flag Linux Software Co. Ltd. is preparing to release an English-language version of its Red Flag Desktop 4.0 operating system, which would be the first non-Chinese commercial product offered by the company and would help Red Flag expand into international markets, a long-standing goal.
"Red Flag will release our English Desktop 4.0 version by the end of this year," said Alice Yang, a company spokeswoman.
International expansion has been a goal for Red Flag ever since the company was established but until now it has only had Chinese-language software to offer, limiting the companies reach outside mainland China to Hong Kong and Macau, Taiwan, and Chinese-speaking users in the rest of Asia.
Red Flag's international expansion plans were boosted last month when the company announced a pact with Hewlett-Packard Co. to work together on marketing Red Flag Linux to enterprise customers, first in China and then in markets around the world. HP will help Red Flag with sales and marketing, technology development, training and support services.