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Red Hat Challenges Swiss Government Over Microsoft Monopoly

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the fighting-ignorance-with-lawsuits dept.

An anonymous reader writes "'Linux vendor Red Hat, and 17 other vendors, have protested a Swiss government contract given to Microsoft without any public bidding. The move exposes a wider Microsoft monopoly that European governments accept, despite their lip service for open source, according to commentators. The Red Hat group has asked a Swiss federal court to overturn a three-year contract issued to Microsoft by the Swiss Federal Bureau for Building and Logistics, to provide Windows desktops and applications, with support and maintenance, for 14M Swiss francs (£8M; $15M) each year. The contract, for 'standardized workstations,' was issued with no public bidding process, Red Hat's legal team reports in a blog — because the Swiss agency asserted there was no sufficient alternative to Microsoft products.'"

5 of 245 comments (clear)

  1. I play by stoolpigeon · · Score: 1, Funny

    Star Wars monopoly usually - regular monopoly some times.

    --
    It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
    1. Re:I play by Captain+Splendid · · Score: 4, Funny

      OMG we should come with a version of Linux Monopoly! Instead of going to jail, you get fined for violating the GPL, and it instead of collecting $200 when passing Go, you can instead up the rev number of your sourceforge-hosted project up one notch.

      --
      Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!
    2. Re:I play by Zordak · · Score: 5, Funny

      the Linux Kernel itself replaces Boardwalk, because it's the most important piece of software in a Linux distro

      Somewhere in a basement beneath MIT, Richard Stallman just peed his pants in exasperated fury.

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      Today's Sesame Street was brought to you by the number e.
  2. Re:And the Swiss sue back! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The Swiss like their operating systems like their cheese -- Plenty of holes.

  3. Re:And the Swiss sue back! by ionix5891 · · Score: 2, Funny

    not like clocks?