The mention of “Windows Basic Client” jumps out to me. Is that a reference to the thin client version of Windows? If so, what's the point of switching away from Linux?
Linux pioneer Munich poised to ditch open source and return to Windows
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Re: Linux pioneer Munich poised to ditch open source and return to Windows
#12So, no real reason? Or may be MS paid someone in charge? It doesn't make any sense really.
Re: Linux pioneer Munich poised to ditch open source and return to Windows
#13[deleted]
Re: Linux pioneer Munich poised to ditch open source and return to Windows
#14Earlier quoted context omitted.
Microsoft Office is better, for not very much more $ per desktop.
Better at what? Most users just write simple letters in Word and make simple lists in Excel. I am known as an Excel power user, and Excel is better at some things than calc, but not very much. Calc is better at exporting unicode CSV, which is big news for a developer. 365 starts at $99 a year, per user. That is quite a lot in my book when you have thousands of users
> 365 starts at $99 a year, per user. That is quite a lot in my book when you have thousands of users
It's really not. Office is the single MS product that is actually better than the competition (Libre, Apple, etc) and it's also THE core business software. Most businesses might have huge ERP systems, but the war is won in the Excel trenches. If you're an organization of 1,000+ users, $100kpa is nothing.
Re: Linux pioneer Munich poised to ditch open source and return to Windows
#15I'd love to see the financials that justify the move.
Re: Linux pioneer Munich poised to ditch open source and return to Windows
#16Does anyone have some examples of the practical problems they experience using Linux, which can't easily be solved in any other way than going to Windows?
It just seems odd to me given my good experience switching my fairly computer illiterate parents over to Linux previously.
To be fair they presently use Mac, but I found the Linux switch a great advantage initially as I ended up with much less tech support dealing with anti-virus software, clicking links they shouldn't, malware etc.
If I were to speculate a key problem is that so many people treat MS Word as the standard format for exchanging written documents. Computer illiterate people very frequently send emails with their main info written in MS Word. They seem to have no idea that you can format your emails from a regular email client.
Or how many people bundle images by pasting them into powerpoint rather than just zipping them?
It would be interesting to know whether these are the sort of problems causing a desire for a switch back to Windows or whether there are real legitimate reasons.
Re: Linux pioneer Munich poised to ditch open source and return to Windows
#17Hm.. "At the time the report was released, the FSFE questioned why Accenture was commissioned to co-author a report assessing the use of Microsoft software, when the consultancy runs a joint venture with Microsoft called Avanade, which helps businesses implement Microsoft technologies. For its part, Accenture said it has an "independent view of the technology landscape". "At the time Munich began the move to LiMux in…
Lol. Microsoft is utterly terrified of Linux making the jump from servers to the workplace.
It's arguably a much bigger threat than home users switching since businesses could switch many thousands of machines at once
Re: Linux pioneer Munich poised to ditch open source and return to Windows
#18I'm surprised the elected officials are so involved in deciding what desktop software is in use. I'm not sure whether to be impressed that they are this deep into details, or skeptical that politicians rather than professionals are making these decisions. Both I guess. I just can't imagine the council in any US jurisdiction meddling in what desktop OS is chosen throughout the jurisdiction.
I would imagine that the cost difference is enough to get their attention
Re: Linux pioneer Munich poised to ditch open source and return to Windows
#19Note the report on which the recommendation was based was authored by a derivative of the Big5 firm which helped Enron. (Arthur Anderson -> Accenture) Technology consultants inventing expensive "customer need" projects is nothing new.
Re: Linux pioneer Munich poised to ditch open source and return to Windows
#20Does anyone have some examples of the practical problems they experience using Linux, which can't easily be solved in any other way than going to Windows? It just seems odd to me given my good experience switching my fairly computer illiterate parents over to Linux previously. To be fair they presently use Mac, but I found the Linux switch a great advantage initially as I ended up with much less tech support dealing…
Perhaps specialties in large urban govt bureacracies (like GIS, facilities maintenance, etc.) often require many Windows-only apps and drivers from vendors whom can't justify Linux development (Mac would probably be first).
Having IT supported a similar type heterogenous mix of departments in big name Ivy academia, it's typically workable productivity/interop to have each group of users to standardize on the same OS... usually either Window or Mac but not both (because of app compatibility, even between same vendor isn't always 100%: filename character set, fonts, so on.)