
Munich considers switching back from Linux to Microsoft software - wfjackson
https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sueddeutsche.de%2Fmuenchen%2Fmuenchner-stadtverwaltung-von-microsoft-zu-linux-und-zurueck-1.2090611&edit-text=
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higherpurpose
I imagine Microsoft would be fighting tooth and nail over this one. They know
that letting a first "success story of migrating to Linux/open source" could
start a whole avalanche of such stories. From a PR point of view, it has been
a pretty big hit to Microsoft, I think.

That being said, any major "switch" is going to cause a lot of complaints, if
it's not done as smoothly as possible. Linux/open source software could be a
lot more successful in areas where the users are "new", such as schools, or
new government agencies, and so on.

I also feel that the governments aren't making nearly a strong of a case for
open source software as they could be making. National security, much lower
cost in the long term, giving back to the communities by using software that's
paid with taxpayer money, rather than sending the taxpayer money into a
private entity blackhole, that isn't even from the country, and is likely to
use tax loopholes to pull the money out of the local branches, too. - all of
these are reasons they could be pushing a lot more.

