Norwegian Government Expires Microsoft Contract

Jeppe Salvesen writes "The Norwegian sites are bristling with the news, and hopefully this will leak worldwide. The Norwegian Government has dropped their contract with Microsoft. Microsoft had an exclusive deal with national and regional government. Administration Secretary Victor D. Norman states that 'we feel that our contract with Microsoft in reality has given Microsoft a monopoly in a field where competition would serve us better.'. My translation. The race is on."

Comments

Here's what MS Norway says:

[Anonymous Coward]

De kommer krypende tilbake..

Translation: They'll come crawling back.

In related news....

[nizo]

The latest patch to IE no longer allows users to connect to any websites ending in .no for "security reasons". Also, future versions of M$ products will no longer support Norwegian due to "lack of market interest". So how many Linux migrations specialists will Norway be needing in the near future? :-)

Re:Got an English translation for that link?

[Bob McCown]

The link leads to a document in Norwegian. Anyone care to translate?

<TRANSLATE>BORK BORK BORK! </TRANSLATE>

Oh, sorry, thats Sweedish...

Re:This is a fews days old.

[Anonymous Coward]

You seem to as you took all their icons ;)

"My translation. The race is on."

[Rupert]

If it's accurate, Norwegian is an extremely verbose language. The article looked like it had about 250 words to me.

New slogan

[micje]

Just Say .no

Re:New slogan

[gilroy]

I think it'd be better as

.NET

.NYET!

But maybe that's too neo-retro-Soviet. :)

The .no domain

[Anonymous Coward]

Sun's famous slogan was:
"Sun: We put the DOT in DOT-COM".

Now Microsoft has a choice for new slogans:
"Microsoft: We put the NO in .NO(rway)."
or
"Microsoft: We put the NO WAY in NOrWAY."

Bork! Bork!

[r_j_prahad]

Vell, dey got de lyingMonopoly outta de gobernmint, now if dey cud only get de lye outta de fish.

Re:So, what *UX flavors have good Norwegian suppor

[Stephen VanDahm]

Localization and language support are going to be an issue here.

I don't know -- most Norwegians speak English better than we do.

Having said that, KDE at least is pretty well internationalized.

Steve

Now, that is...

[teamhasnoi]

One Degree of Separation!

Better Translation

[Anonymous Coward]

Courtesy of the landonizer:

Norwegian Gofernment cancels Microsoft contract [Aftenposten]

Jul. 12, 2002

Dis Norwegian news item reports ze cancellation Uff a Microsoft contract to delifer software for gofernment-related systems droughout Norway. Dis report appeared in ze Norwegian newspaper, Aftenposten, today. A rough translation undt link to ze original news article Ist profided below . . .

(headline)"Norwegian Gofernment cancels Microsoft contract"

(article genau, lead) "De gofernment has canceled ze contract mitt Microsoft, an agreement gifingkt genau, ze software company exclusife rights to delifer software for public office computers."

"De Minister Uff Labour undt Gofernment Administration, Fictor D. Norman(H) says procurement agreement mitt Microsoft has been sub-optimal. Accordingkt to Norman, a higher degree Uff competition could gife cheaper software solutions bod Norway zero points for ze gofernment undt for consumers."

"'Ve dink dat ze Microsoft agreement in reality has gifen Microsoft a monopoly in JA HANSI, JA, an area where we are better serfed by introducingkt competition." says Norman Norway zero points to NR-r-rK (National State-owned TF station).'"

"In Norman's fiew, ze cancellation genau, Uff ze agreement mitt MS will not only gife cheaper computer solutions but also better quality solutions."

R-r-read full story


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