Munich Struggling with Linux Transition?

rune2 writes "The Toronto Star has an article up that mentions that Steve Ballmer is gloating about how the Munich transition to Linux and Open Source software isn't going too well." Even if the transition is going poorly, what about when Munich is finally set? Funny how there's no mention of all the future costs of licenses they've already saved themselves from, yet there's a nice plug for the next version of Windows. Last time I checked, Windows' upgrades from one version to the next were not free by any definition.

Comments

Bad for the movement?

[KrackHouse]

I love Linux and open source software in general but as much as we all hate Microsoft, Munchen made a bad decision. Maybe it was fueled by the disagreement about the war, who knows, but Linux is still in it's infancy. Microsoft will have fodder now to argue that Linux is not only not ready for desktop use but that it will never be ready. How will they make that point? Because they'll point to all of the Linux zealots who claim that Linux is already better than WinXP on the desktop. There is a lot of room for improvement when it comes to linux on the desktop. Patience is a virtue.

Re:There is one positive

[t0ny]

It seems that the main problem in Munich is with the knowledgebase of the integrators

Yep, three cheers for Munich joining the Linux "early adopter" program! As I said long ago, and got modded down for, Munich is going to waste tons of money.

There are no good tools to do a MS to Linux conversion. There are no real case studies to read. Most people dont even UNDERSTAND how Linux works, or how to use it, so you cant even hire qualified people (because no matter how good the admin is, you still need people to visit the desktops). MEANING that Munich is going to have to have all this done for themselves, they are going to be doing the expensive (and, from an IT perspective, very negligent) job of breaking new ground.

As I said before, its a good thing this was a government and not a company. A company would be forced out of business over a botched job like this. Munich can just raise taxes and stick it to all their residents and businesses.

Feel free to mod down the truth.

Re:There is a fundemental problem

[Anonymous Coward]

Linux has strong points (server)

Unfortunately, the BSDs beat the crap out of it there. So it can't do anything right.

BSD for server, Windows for desktop, Linux to toy around and waste time.

Re:There is a fundemental problem

[bankman]

The only people that Like Linux either hate MS or think it is a fun hobby.[...]but the idea of replacing windows with it for a desktop is a pipe dream. I get sick of reading about all the misinformation about Linux simply because the person writing it has some political agenda against Microsoft. Linux has strong points (server) yes, but lets not make it out to be more than it is just becasue you don't like Microsoft.

Not at all, dear clueless. Linux is also liked by business people who want to take business decisions based upon their own interests and not some proprietary software vendor's. Microsoft, their products and licensing strategies are most often talked about because they are most visible and often spearhead the industry.

At some point MS software might fit your specific needs, but will it still in the future? Who knows. What if it does not? What if you are locked into idiotic upgrade cycles and repressive licensing terms? You might suddenly find that your business is to a large part depended on one single supplier (this goes for other software packages as well). Strategy 101 at your local business school will tell you that you made a very crucial mistake. In my book, buying Microsoft products, while viable alternatives are available, will get you sacked. Oh, and remember that a business desktop regularly doesn't need uber-fancy graphics, user software installation capabilities, WMP, a dangerously buggy browser that can't easily be uninstalled and a mail program that either let's you execute arbitrary code or not see any attachments.

If XP SP2 is more stable than Fedora or Mandrake for you (what are you doing with your box anyway?) and fits your personal computing needs, keep it, but don't make ridiculous statements about stuff that you don't have the slightest clue about, please.

Re:There is one positive

[t0ny]

You haven't worked for many companies

I havent? Thats funny, my resume might say otherwise.

Lots of them "break new ground" in terms of IS/IT.

Sure, lots of the stupid ones. Lots of the IT/IS shops who ignore the concept that the "Information" in Information Technology is their primary concern. Lots of the shops who breat new ground are the ones who, like in Munich, forget this in their quest to play with something that is new and different.

Walmart is an obvious example of a company that spends a fortune to use technology to get a leg up in terms of logistics.

Walmart isnt breaking new ground. They are doing a measured roll-out of a new technology, which will tie in to their existing way of doing things; there is a subtle difference. Munich is doing a helter-skelter, seat-of-the-pants conversion, while Walmart is just adding on to something which is already working correctly. They written their own OSes for devices to get equipment to do things it was never meant to do; and as a result they have the bestl logistics in the world from a cost perspective.

Um, whatever that is supposed to mean. Somehow, I dont thing Walmart is going to have their systems being run by clustered playstations held together by duct tape and clothes hangers.

With one notable exception the banks that didn't "break new ground" 30 years ago no longer exist. Free checking, CDs paying almost bond interest and high internal expenses to manage accounts wiped them out.

Oh, you mean 'fake free checking'? And those things you are mentioning arent 'breaking new ground', they are just marketting spin. When a grocery store has a sale on milk or ten pizzas for $20, they arent breaking new ground.

I have worked for banks, and have many friends who do, and believe me, there is NO ground breaking going on there.

It doesn't always pay to be a technology laggered

I am going to assume you meant laggard. Anyway, there is no intelligent reason to be the first to do something. Especially if you are in the position of betting all your information and productivity on it. But, as I said, thats why somebody was able to con a government into this- because any smart corporation would never have done it. There are too many risks, and nobody would bet their company's future on some stupid plan with the only goal of sticking it to Microsoft. There isnt a cost savings, either long term or short term, and for as massive a project as a city wide conversion of both desktops and infrastructure goes, there was practically NO planning. And, if you read the original article, there was NO testing being done! Their "testing" was being done in their production environment, as the conversion was being done... pardon me, but thats not testing.

Also, they are going to be WAY over budget. I will predict they are going to ring in at *least* double the original cost estimate, meaning, at that figure, they are spending three times the cost of staying with Windows. I also predict their support costs are going to be at least twice what they were before. With the current generation of Windows, organizations are getting to lower their total support costs; Munich is wisely bucking that trend and doubling it!

I keep saying it, but it bears repeating: the only reason this is being done is because the City of Munich cant go out of business. All they need to do is create a new tax to pay for a very stupid mistake which would have drove a company in the real world out of business.