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Focuses on networking equipment company Cisco Systems Inc., which wants the lead role in rewiring Asia. Why Cisco dominates the region; How Asia could be crucial to reviving Cisco's stock; Competition in Asia; Possible pricing wars between Cisco and Huawei Technologies Company; Plans of Cisco executives to help design and equip next-generation networks in Asia; Marketing strategies; Product portfolio; How Cisco faces its fiercest battle for supremacy in China; Expansion of broadband in India; Outlook for Cisco.

The article presents letters to the editor on the topic of the spread of the computer age in the East. Reacting to the article of Andries van Dam published in the August 2003 issue of the journal, a letter says that the reason computing has lost its allure among U.S. college students is not that they believe the computer revolution is over. Rather, they've watched it move to Asia. In a reply Andries van Dam says that it is doubtful that students have considered or indeed are very aware of the movement of the U.S. information technology (IT) work to Asia. Most professionals aren't even aware of how much software work has shifted to Asia and how countries like China and India, not to mention Singapore, are investing in building up their "machinery."

The article focuses on Hewlett-Packard's plan to sell Linux-based computers. Whatever the reason, the second-largest computer maker in the world chose to let Japan-based Turbolinux Inc. announce its deal with HP to sell Linux-based personal computers in 12 Asian markets, including Japan, Taiwan and, most important, India and China. So HP's move to become the world's first major computer maker to offer Linux PCs in Asia appears to be geared primarily at getting a leg up in China, where it shipped just 2% of the 13 million PCs in that market in 2003, lagging its two major U.S. competitors. Although Windows has 95% or so market share worldwide, corporations and governments in Asia are far less beholden to Microsoft's operating systems and its Office suite of applications than in North America, largely because the region has developed so much customized software. Linux has a huge opportunity in Asia, where Microsoft and the Wintel platform haven't really had a chance to take hold yet. Strong market demand from Asia--and especially China--may be just the kind of boost Linux needs to become a viable counterweight to Microsoft's dominance in North America and around the world.