__/ [ Peter Köhlmann ] on Wednesday 07 March 2007 21:45 \__
> B Gruff wrote:
>
>> On Wednesday 07 March 2007 20:07 Peter Köhlmann wrote:
>>
>>> B Gruff wrote:
>>>
>>>> I suspect that this is what was being referred to in a posting a few
>>>> days ago, but my German wasn't up to it!
>>>>
>>>> Nevertheless, my first "take" was..... "...so this didn't actually
>>>> *start* with Munich - you guys already knew the way you were going?"
>>>>
>>>> http://europa.eu.int/idabc/en/document/2204/470
>>>
>>> No, it did not start at all with Munich. Other cities have converted to
>>> linux much earlier
>>> And since years windows machines are banned from high-security posts in
>>> the german army
>>> After all, nothing good would come out of the (quite probably existing)
>>> trojan holes in windows to spy on those machines, would it?
>>> So, apart from the risk of the often crashing windows, they did not want
>>> to take *that* risk additionally without need
>>
>> Thank you, Peter.
>>
>> There are in fact many aspects of "MS Windows for all" that we never seem
>> to
>> touch on in this group, and I would certainly value your own comment. I
>> am thinking OS, but the same comments apply to (for example) MS Office:-
>>
>> - It seems to me that it is most unwise to trust something as important as
>> ones entire IT capability to a single company. The rule used to be "at
>> least two sources of supply, and one at least of those in *this* country".
>>
>> - It seems unwise that if one has a *single* supply, that supplier should
>> be
>> a foreign country. It might be friendly now, but who knows?
>>
>> - In the case of MS OS (XP and Vista), and also it would appear, Office
>> and presumably anything else they choose, MS has demonstrated the
>> capability to
>> cause that S/W to cease to work. e.g. if you don't register within 30
>> days, *all* that your system will be allowed to do is browse the 'net so
>> that you *can* register.
>> In the event of a more hostile situation coming about, there is
>> considerable scope for damaging non-American economies, or at least
>> threatening to do so!
>>
>> - As you suggest, there are always "back-doors", real or imagined.
>> If this is not the case and not possible, why was the Pentagon throwing
>> out PCs made in China on security grounds (BIOS!)?
>>
>> - What good does it do *any* non-U.S. country to use MS stuff?
>> By doing so, they relegate themselves to the role of "first line support",
>> in that all technical know-how, all code, all decisions, are vested in
>> Redmond, and those countries "jobs" in the industry become those of the
>> call centre.
>>
>> - MS insists on using proprietary formats, thereby holding to ransom the
>> very data of people using the products. Open Formats change this, allow
>> competion, etc. but seem to be unacceptable to Redmond!
>>
>> - All money spent on MS stuff (apart from sales tax which goes to the
>> buying country, corporation tax which goes to Ireland, and the
>> "commission" for the sale) goes to the U.S.
>> It is an import, in fact, and has to be paid for to "buy back" the dollars
>> -
>> in cars, in services, or whatever. By contrast, money spent as Munich are
>> doing is spent with local industry, increases the expertise of the locals,
>> benefits the local (German, in this case) economy.
>>
>> Do you disagree with any of this?:-)
>>
>
> No, not at all. This certainly was the reasoning for several of the linux
> projects started in germany in the last years
> Munich, which the idiot trolls in cola like to attack so much, was one of
> the latest projects started. And despite all their badmouthing, it is going
> fairly well
That's how it seems...
Munich mayor: Full speed ahead to open source
,----[ Quote ]
| Although numerous other European cities are closely
| following the LiMux project, Hoegner is hesitant to
| estimate how many will ever take the leap and deploy
| open source on a large scale. "Politicians don't know
| enough about open source and are worried about making
| a mistake," he said. "Believe me, my head would have
| been on the block if things had backfired here."
`----
http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/10/24/HNmunichopensource_1.html?source=rss&url=http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/10/24/HNmunichopensource_1.html
http://tinyurl.com/yck48j
LiMux The Penguin: Deep into Munich?s Linux F/OSS migration
,----[ Quote ]
| Munich's Linux migration has been a publicity frenzy, a
| software patent poster child, and the subject of a debate
| on the role of government in technology mandates. Now it's
| a real-life IT project, and the key to success is training,
| management, and replacing 170 non-Linux applications.
|
| [...]
|
| Now, after enormous criticism and a nearly complete halt,
| it's becoming a successful migration if for very important
| reasons: it's going well, quietly, and on plan.
`---- ^^^^^^^
http://www.linuxworld.com/news/2006/110606-munich-linux.html
--
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