What is Digg?17 Comments
- schestowitz, on 10/12/2007, -2/+18It's not just Amsterdam. All the large cities in the countries will dive into Open Source (and in due cource, probably Linux on the desktop).
Large Dutch cities supporting open source - http://blogs.sun.com/dancer/entry/large_dutch_cities_supporting_open - Stonekeeper, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5You sound stoned
- SPThom, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Honestly I'd think the increased cost of support would only be a temporary thing. It'll take more effort for IT staff to learn Linux, it it'll take more time per install to configure, and more time per user to train, but that should be offset after a year or so by having fewer cases of spyware, viruses, and/or random registry issues, etc. and thusly, less *reconfiguring* and less reinstallation.
- thelastknowngod, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4hopefully, joe user will see the advantages of open source applications and, eventually, linux on the desktop.
of course this is in an ideal world. if someone from some linux distro started marketing what theyve got and aiming it at the average user they would probably gain a lot more name recognition and eventually, as time goes on, market share. anything to bring awareness to the linux desktop... - SimonDonkers, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4The goal isn't just that the Dutch government is poor and we can't afford Microsoft. The government is doing this because they don't want to be dependent and want to have interoperability and be assured that data they store now can still be read in 10 or 20 years. Also they want to be independent of big software companies like Microsoft. They don't want that if Microsoft releases a new file format with Office 2007 that suddenly all governments are forced to upgrade all Office licences because they can't open files any more.
- zombo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@oliveroms
Regardless of what you would like to believe the gemeente amsterdam is foreign and obscure for 99.9999% of WWW users. That aside the crippling bureaucracy so prevalent in the Netherlands is likely to delay a decision for at least another 20yrs. - TimTim, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3@jbswashington
If the low-paid IT support staff can't install, configure and use Linux, then I wouldn't trust them to be able to install, configure and use Windows! Support staff should know how to use software and know where to find the information they need to maintain that software no matter what it is! Why do they have technical certificates and college degrees if they don't know how to do anything? They should ask for their tuition back, because they surely didn't learn anything! - oobuntu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2i have read articles about the french government (source; http://www.newsfactor.com/news/The-French-Say-Au-Revoir-to-Microsoft/story.xhtml?story_id=13000CYN8S0K and various magazines) switching to FOSS by june 2007, however, they haven't decided/disclosed which version yet. shouldn't they get a move on?
- MWeather, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Me too. Linux is much easier.
- PuffyC, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2
How many stories like this are we gonna hear where some obscures foreign agency tosses around the idea of thinking about considering moving to Linux and/or OpenOffice but then it never materializes? Where are all the post-op stories done later glowing about how wonderful the transition was and how much honest savings there are? Have any of these places actually completed a switch? If so, what's the real deal? - j_bellone, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The high paid IT staff usually creates the images for the low paid IT staff to install. At least that is how we did it during the summer. Worked out rather well even though the said high paid IT staff was a little slow with getting the images ready.
- ziadoz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1In my experience Linux seems to be easier than Windows to maintain and troubleshoot.
- schestowitz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1The version that can play the Counsil's streams. It is, after all, [sarcasm]"illegal to support Linux"[/sarcasm]
http://www.p2pnet.net/story/10879
Sign the petition. - oliveroms, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Don't be calling us Dutchies 'obscure' or 'foreign'..
YOU are foreign by just doing that. The interwebs are for everybody, it's not called the usweb or the interamerica.
FYI, www stands for WORLD wide web. again, not USA wide web.
And finally, about the cost savings, I think the biggest cost savings aren't in the first few years. You have your initial costs for training people, switch by itself, and maybe they want some custom software, that they either have to spend money on to get developed, or buy. This is more of a long run kinda thing, a good thing, so expect stories, just not right now :) - jbswashington, on 10/12/2007, -6/+0Pretty much sounds like you are saying that Windows and Linux are on par with each other in ease of installation, configuration and administration, then. Which I respectfully disagree with!
- etechonline2002, on 10/12/2007, -7/+1I've see this before. people getting high and using computer. lets hope there are people there that know. computing while high is now a good idea.
- jbswashington, on 10/12/2007, -8/+1American government agencies could never do this. Can you imagine the low-paid IT support staff at your average department of motor vehicles dealing with installing, configuring and using Linux? I think some Linux proponents need to admit to themselves that using Linux requires a little bit more talent than Windows or MacOS. However, since they are not paying for a license, they can go ahead and pay for better talent, but that doesn't save the agency any money, does it? All it ends up doing is shifting the cost of the software away from Microsoft licensing and towards the people who install and configure the system ....a noble goal, for sure, but hardly helping the agency that decides to do this.
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