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Germany, IBM Sign Major Linux Deal

Posted by timothy on from the und-jetz dept.

Skip Franklin writes: "IBM and the German government are getting together to implement Linux as the government's computing platform of choice. The deal is being touted as a big blow to Microsoft, although personally I prefer the glass-half-full perspective of a big win for Open Source. The BBC has the story."

20 of 375 comments (clear)

  1. backwards? by swordgeek · · Score: 4, Funny

    I thought seeing this as a large hit against Microsoft WAS looking at the glass as half full!

    --

    "People who do stupid things with hazardous materials often die." -- Jim Davidson on alt.folklore.urban
  2. All they need now... by swordboy · · Score: 2, Funny

    All they need to do now is integrate open source with Oktoberfest and they can have free software AND beer. What would be some good (funny) names for a German Gov't Linux distro?

    Linuxkraut?

    --

    Life is the leading cause of death in America.
    1. Re:All they need now... by lala · · Score: 2, Funny

      It's those rootbeers you're talking about, rigth?

    2. Re:All they need now... by rocjoe71 · · Score: 2, Funny

      ...Das Boot.

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      Height: 38U, Weight: 0 Newtons, Eyes: #0000FF, OS: Gray Matter 1.0 (Alpha)
    3. Re:All they need now... by sharkey · · Score: 4, Funny

      GNU/Reich? BlitzGNU? Iron Penguin? Col. Klinkux?

      --

      --
      "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
  3. Re:Oh joy. by counsell · · Score: 2, Funny

    How does one say it in English?

  4. Is this what they call BBC English? by delphi125 · · Score: 3, Funny
    "the most reliable core for computer systems for whom crashing is not an option"

    HAL 9000 may have been a who(m) as opposed to a what/which, but crashing was certainly an option for HAL!

    1. Re:Is this what they call BBC English? by jabberw0k · · Score: 5, Funny

      Don't anthropomorphize computers.

      They hate that.

  5. Re:Linux hate by TweeKinDaBahx · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hey! Novell is still around...

    Not that anyone cares...

    Bah... Just use active directory and XP Pro. You'll never EVER crash!

    ROFL!

    --
    Linux is dead.
    LU
  6. Hmmm by mmarlett · · Score: 2, Funny

    Ich bin ein Penguin.

  7. In fuhrer news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
    Microsoft Germany wants to rebuild the Berlin Firewall, and fill the streets with the BSA.

    "It's the only way we can supress freedom of choice", Bill 'Hitler' Gates said on Monday. "We won't stop until the inferior Open Source has been destroyed." Reponse was mixed. Somebody played RTCW, and whupped some M$azi ass.

  8. Re:Why IBM? by mikeee · · Score: 3, Funny

    Because Germans like things that are large, expensive, and over-engineered?

    :)

  9. But... by sopuli · · Score: 4, Funny
    ...using open-source is UnAmerican!

    Oh wait...

  10. Re:Oh joy. by An+Onerous+Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Reglas del Linux," according to Babelfish. Not knowing German myself, I couldn't tell you if lelling this would get you a fist pump or a glassy-eyed stare in downtown Berlin.

    --

    You want the truthiness? You can't handle the truthiness!

  11. The Staying Power of Monoliths? by cburley · · Score: 5, Funny
    IBM and the German government are getting together

    Man, 30 years ago I would not have believed a statement beginning this way would imply victory for the little guy!!

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    Practice random senselessness and act kind of beautiful.
  12. Germany misunderstood by gosand · · Score: 4, Funny

    Once again, something got lost in the translation. "Free as in beer" got translated to "free beer", and the Germans couldn't sign the contract fast enough.

    --

    My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.

    1. Re:Germany misunderstood by Qbertino · · Score: 2, Funny

      There was something like that that REALLY happend some 50 Years ago.
      The War was over, germans where way past their reserves and the Marshal plan was due and germany (west) was to be brought to strength again to serve as a good buffer to the commies. The american headquaters gave word across the atlantic to ask what the germans would need (food of course).
      The germans back then ordered some x-hundred thousand tons of corn. (Korn) And got x-hundred thousand tons of what AMERICANS call corn. For more than a year then the germans ate corn-bread, corn-cereal, corn-soup, canned corn ... corn everything, you name it. The british and the german (and a lot of other peolple) call it mais. The german word "Korn" is a word used to describe any type of grain.
      I guess they should have ordered grain or something like "x of wheat and y of barley".

      Anyhow, most certainly one of the funniest missunderstandings in recent history. :-)

      --
      We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
  13. Re:Oh joy. by jezreel · · Score: 2, Funny

    LOL,
    gänse fleisch mal den küfferüm üffmache?

    linüx rühls

    a german from hamburg

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    0 001 11 1
  14. Important parts of the MS interview left out! by marhar · · Score: 2, Funny
    From the full transcript. Emphasis added:



    It says that switching to open source can damage a country's indigenous IT industry, because some varieties of open source software place restrictions on copyright and intellectual property. "Imagine if the software industry were tied in to restrictive licenses with unreasonable terms. How could anybody want to function in an environment like that?"



    It also says that it is a more reliable partner than smaller, less well-established open source distributors. "Consider IBM, this open-source dot com the German government has decided to do business with. What's their track record? How long have they been around?"



    "Any policy that favours one thing over another isn't helpful," a Microsoft Europe spokeswoman told the Journal. "That's why we support our applications on a wide variety of operating systems. We want users to have the choice of where they want to go. That's why we provide software for all version of Windows!"

  15. Does this mean we have to call it GNU/Germany? by AIXadmin · · Score: 4, Funny

    Does this mean RMS will now want us to call Germany, GNU/Germany?