While highlighting the key factor behind Malaysia's success in ICT sector, Mahathir said the Malaysian government did not adopt the "monopolistic and proprietary" computer operating system of Microsoft.

"We have standardized the use of Linux instead, which is based on open standards," said the former Malaysian premier while answering the audience after his remarkable keynote speech at the inaugural session of Bangladesh-Malaysia Business Forum yesterday.

He gave credit to user-friendliness of Linux for Malaysia's tremendous success in e-governance, e-business and e-learning. Mahathir said the Bangladesh government's ICT policy should also make Linux the national standard of computer operating system.