http://english.www.gov.tw/index.jsp?action=cna&cnaid=4143 CNA News TAIWAN'S FREE SOFTWARE INDUSTRY GROWING RAPIDLY 2004/11/09 21:12:56 Taipei, Nov. 9 (CNA) Taiwan's free software, or freeware, industry is growing rapidly, with an annual output of NT$13.5 billion (US$409 million) registered in 2003, an official of the Networks and Multimedia Institute (NMI) under the Institute for Information Industry said Tuesday. The industry's annual production is estimated to reach NT$29 billion this year and to top the NT$100 billion mark in 2007, according to NMI Director Tung Chien-cheng. The freeware industry is a key indicator for the information service industry's development, is one of the driving forces for relevant industries and is one of the basic platforms for increasing Taiwan's overall industrial competitiveness, Tung said. A total of 25 companies in Taiwan are involved in the research and development of freeware so far, Tung went on, adding that the ratio of network servers using freeware increased to 16 percent in 2003 from the 10 percent of the previous year. The number of companies dedicated to freeware R&D is expected to increase to 50, when the industry's annual output will top NT$100 billion, he predicted. (By Huang Kwang-chun) ENDITEM/J  -- Diego Saravia [email protected]