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posted by chromas on Saturday July 28 2018, @12:16PM   Printer-friendly
from the progress dept.

Another German state plans switch back from Linux to Windows

The German state of Lower Saxony plans to follow Munich's example, and migrate a reported 13,000 users from Linux back to Windows.

Apparently undaunted by the cost of the Munich switch (which we reported in January could be as much as €100m), Lower Saxony is considering making the change in its tax office. The state seems to expect a much cheaper transition, with Heise (in German here) reporting the first-year budget is €5.9m, and another €7m further out.

The tax office argues its decision is driven by compatibility: field workers and teleworkers overwhelmingly use Windows, while the OpenSUSE variants are installed on its office workstations. The office workstations are also ageing and due for replacement, something that helped open the door for Windows.

Related: Linux Champion Munich Takes Decisive Step Towards Returning to Windows
Munich Switching From Linux to Windows 10
German Documentary on Relations Between Microsoft and Public Administration Now Available in English


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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Saturday July 28 2018, @02:24PM (4 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Saturday July 28 2018, @02:24PM (#713991) Journal

    I read the story on Munich. I'm afraid that your take isn't *entirely* accurate, Bob. Those people, the individuals using the system, in Munich, made the switch to Linux. There was some grousing about switching, early on. And, of course, some hard core persons continued to grouse later on. But, all in all, the users got used to the system, they adapted, and used the system, just as they would use any system.

    Then, Munich got a new mayor, who had ties to Microsoft. The administration shitcanned Linux. There was no push from the rank and file - the politicians decided that they liked that Microsoft kickback.

    Like you, I don't blame Munich. I blame corrupt politicians, and corrupt businessmen.

    I have not yet read enough about Lower Saxony to form an opinion. I am, however, primed to learn the same sort of thing that happened in Munich. If Germany allowed the corrupt assholes to rape Munich for all that money, I'm sure that Germany would allow the same thing to happen in Lower Saxony.

    Now - addressing your "leson to be learned" - I'm forced to agree with you. I switched my wife over to Linux, several years ago. I think it's about a decade now. Anyway, she was OK with Linux. She did have to change her usage and habits a little bit, but she was OK with it. Her hardware finally failed, she decided to build a new computer, and she paid (OMG, actually PAID FOR) an OEM disk with her purchase. I asked "Why?" and she says that some of her games just didn't run right on Linux. She figured that it was worth it to her, to pay for a valid license, so she could run the games she wanted to play.

    Well, I thought about beating her to death with that disk, but, she paid for it with her own money. Judges around here may be open minded, but they would frown upon a man beating his wife to death for spending her own money. ;^)

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  • (Score: 3, Funny) by Runaway1956 on Saturday July 28 2018, @02:27PM (2 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Saturday July 28 2018, @02:27PM (#713993) Journal

    Oh, God, I didn't put any sarcasm tags on that last bit. Someone is sure to come unglued over my comments. Relax, folks! I DID NOT think about beating the wife to death! Well - not much, anyway.

    • (Score: 3, Touché) by melikamp on Saturday July 28 2018, @02:40PM

      by melikamp (1886) on Saturday July 28 2018, @02:40PM (#713994) Journal

      Oh, God, I didn't put any sarcasm tags on that last bit.

      Yeah, that would REALLY help to communicate your point that much more effectively. (◔_◔)

    • (Score: 3, Informative) by loonycyborg on Saturday July 28 2018, @05:24PM

      by loonycyborg (6905) on Saturday July 28 2018, @05:24PM (#714037)

      Just remember 3S: Safe, sane and consensual.

  • (Score: 2) by bobthecimmerian on Saturday July 28 2018, @09:03PM

    by bobthecimmerian (6834) on Saturday July 28 2018, @09:03PM (#714101)

    I read a bit about the Munich corruption rumor, but wasn't sure how much was accurate and how much was FUD (from the open source community instead of against it, for once).

    Sorry about your wife's situation. My wife is a satisfied Linux user but that's only because her whole digital life is GMail, Facebook, and Amazon - so proprietary web services she can access through Firefox "liberated" her from Windows. It's not a win, not really. At this point I think Microsoft is less of a privacy risk to consumers than those three - and I hate Microsoft.