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German State Plans To Migrate 13,000 Workstations From Linux to Windows (zdnet.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the government-shut-downs dept.

An anonymous reader quotes ZDNet: The German state of Lower Saxony is set to follow Munich in migrating thousands of official computers away from Linux to Microsoft's Windows. As initially reported by Heise, the state's tax authority has 13,000 workstations running OpenSuse -- which it adopted in 2006 in a well-received migration from Solaris -- that it now wants to migrate to a "current version" of Windows, presumably Windows 10.

The authority reasons that many of its field workers and telephone support services already use Windows, so standardisation makes sense. An upgrade of some kind would in any case be necessary soon, as the PCs are running OpenSuse versions 12.2 and 13.2, neither of which is supported anymore.

According to the Lower Saxony's draft budget, €5.9m is set aside for the migration in the coming year, with a further €7m annually over the following years; it's not yet clear how many years the migration would take... Munich's shift away from LiMux -- the city's own Ubuntu-based distribution -- is expected to cost more than €50m overall, involving the deployment of around 29,000 Windows-based computers.

133 of 325 comments (clear)

  1. No problem by TimothyHollins · · Score: 4, Funny

    This should be easy. The German state has become quite the expert on migration as of late. Let's just hope no-one gets raped in the process.

    1. Re: No problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      He asked what about him, not what about his gay...

    2. Re: No problem by MightyMartian · · Score: 1, Insightful

      How is indifference any different. If the end result is the same, that people fleeing catastrophe drown, does it matter whether it was an active effort to drown them, are just callousness and apathy that allows it to happen? You either make an active moral choice or you invoke indifference, and make the moral choice by default. A drowning man doesn't much care whether someone in the lifeboat is shoving his head under water, or is just sitting watching him die.

      And let's remember here that countries like Syria and Iraq are the creations of the Great Powers. They ignored any kind of tribal or ethnic divisions, or even the divisions of convenience of the Ottoman Empire. They just simply took maps, carved out protectorates and dependencies, and then, after a few years, when they could no longer sustain their empires or keep a lid on the chaos they'd bottled up, they just walked away. So I'd say, considering the Great Powers in question were, by and large, France and the UK, who decided from the 18th and 20th centuries that the Mediterranean was their lake (and really, Britain still holding Gibraltar indicates that the long-term goal of "managing" the Mediterranean is still in the national interest) have, so far as I can see, a significant debt to the citizens of these countries. To just decide, after decades of chaos (much of it unleashed by another Great Power, the United States, botch occupation of Iraq), that it isn't their problem any more is a moral choice.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    3. Re: No problem by Hognoxious · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      But not as sheiße as Slashdot's handling of anything outside ISO-8859-1.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    4. Re: No problem by Hallux-F-Sinister · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      Acknowledging that it has almost nothing whatsoever to do with some German region changing from GNU/Linux to MS Windows, I just have to say, I am so sick of the "legal" argument. Maybe you were trying to be funny, but the "law" you were alluding to is creating human misery on par with crop failure, floods, fires, and rocks hurtling in from space and making everything all dead and explodey, so I simply cannot help but respond.

      "Respect our laws," they say. REALLY? Would YOU respect a "law" if the people passed one making it illegal for you to breathe? Let us suppose they passed such a law. You did NOTHING whatsoever to harm anyone else and occasion this, your mere PRESENCE brought it about. They decided they didn't like you. If they, as a result, decided that you personally, fizzer06 , were not allowed to breathe anymore, not because you did anything wrong, not because you harmed anyone else, or even that you're an actual threat to someone, but because you are adjudged inherently inferior because of which side of an imaginary line on the ground your mother pushed you, headfirst, out of her vagina on, YOU are not allowed to breathe anymore, would you do it? Would you comply? According to the "LAW," you should just hold your breath, turn blue, and fucking die. Tell me, truly, would you "respect" such a bullshit "law"? Would you just hold your breath because someone doesn't like what you look like, your accent perhaps, or thinks you pray the wrong way, to the wrong version of an imaginary character out of a fucking book, or to the right one but in the wrong language... or perhaps because they want to preserve their "culture," as if it's somehow better, more worthy than the one where you came from, for their FUCKING convenience and peace of mind, would you die?

      The "LAW" that says someone isn't good enough to be a German just because he was born in Turkey, or isn't good enough to be a Frenchman because he was born in Chad, or isn't somehow worthy of being an American because his mother's vagina hovered over a piece of ground in Guatemala when he was pushed out of it, is worth about the same as the "LAW" that said that if a person was accused of being a runaway slave, even in a free-state that had outlawed slavery, that any local authority must assist a person claiming ownership over that slave, and help return him or her with that person to a shit-hole state that still allows people to own other people and frankly, fuck 100% of that shit.

      Fuck nativism, fuck racism... we are all brothers and sisters, and the "LAW" you're referring to, with which immigrants are either IN, or OUT of compliance, is racist, nativist bullshit. America in particular is the one country on Earth where that shit, (given America's origins, founding, constitution, etc.,) really shouldn't fly, where such laws are particularly disgusting and morally reprehensible. OF ALL countries, if America were truly to subscribe to the idea that any person whose parents were here earlier was allowed to decide who else COULD and COULD NOT be in the country based on arriving later, then that would give to the descendants of the Native Americans who were here before the first European settlers arrived, (immigrants and refugees from "shit-hole countries" where people were being persecuted for their religion or starving due to famine, not to put too fine a goddamned point on it, like England, Ireland, Germany, etc.,) the right to kick literally EVERYONE who wasn't "legal," in compliance with THEIR laws, (if they were prescient enough to think to make such a law before 1492 C.E.,) and THEIR descendants OUT. Somehow, however, when the US Senate and House of so-called "Representatives" (that's a laugh,) decide on how many people to "let in," I very much doubt anyone is invited from one of the reservations to weigh in on how many refugees that America in particular helped create, America would let in.

      Of course, many countries actually have such a situation, actually have natives to a region

      --
      Our reign has gone on long enough. Indeed. Summon the meteors.
    5. Re: No problem by admin7087 · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      Although I understand your anger, your rant in this off-topic threat is a bit misleading. Germany has actually taken the refugees that it has taken because of the law, more specifically because of Article 16a of the German Constitution, the German Asylum Act, the Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees of 1951 signed by Germany and many other countries, and Article 78 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union signed by every member state of the European Union. In addition to that, there are of course also basic humanitarian principles, as you lay out so vividly.

      Just wanted to point that out, as some of the people who let others drown in the Mediterranean Sea or that refugees should be shot at borders erroneously think they have some kind of "law" on their side. What they propose is illegal on even more levels than the above ones. There are also continuing blatant violations of International Maritime Law such as serious crimes committed by the Libyan Coast Guard who literally kill people with the tacit approval of many European governments.

    6. Re: No problem by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

      Czechoslovakia is a happy story. Counter that with Yugoslavia. One happy ending doesn't disprove a number of far less happy endings.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    7. Re:No problem by AbRASiON · · Score: 2

      I can see it now, a group of 7 rape a woman in the middle of a town square at midday in the middle of a parade.

      Sadly the police and media /and the victim/ reports that no one can describe the assailants with any more detail than "multiple men",........

      Of course the one guy who caught it on film is being charged for privacy violations and hate speech!
      Wait is this Germany or Sweden?

    8. Re: No problem by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      First thing that enters my mind....why the fuck does the tax authority have 13000 fucking workstations? Jesus Titty Fucking Christ.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    9. Re: No problem by nukenerd · · Score: 1

      American history proves you wrong. Every country should have a Statue of Liberty. Melting pots make the best societies.

      So America has one of the best societies? Not the impression I get from American posters here and the news generally. I would not want to live there, and it is becoming increasingly unpleasant to live in Europe as people like yourself try to make that into a melting pot too.

    10. Re: No problem by nukenerd · · Score: 1, Interesting

      The people Germany is taking in are not "refugees", they are adventurers taking advantage of a situation. The "Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees of 1951" does not apply to adventurers. Unless you count as "refugees" guys (and they are mostly young men of fighting age) who are getting away from GFs they have got pregnant, escaping debts they owe, running from petty crimes catching up with them, thinking they can earn more money, or any of he the miriad of other reasons that drives them.

    11. Re: No problem by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      I do wonder given the have 1300 employees.

    12. Re: No problem by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      If you don't like the law, change it. ...oh yeah, and shut the fuck up with your stupid straw man shit. Your point was not missed by anyone....so your rambling is not at all insightful.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    13. Re:No problem by MoarSauce123 · · Score: 1

      sorry...should have been a p tag, not a b tag.....oooops

    14. Re:No problem by walterbyrd · · Score: 1

      Microsoft needs to get something out of partnering with Red Hat.

      Systemd is not really Linux anyway.

  2. Erste shweinhund gepostierung by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    Ich habe keine Teufeltommyenglanderpigdoggenversicherung fur meinem Strassenbahnhaltestellehandytasche!

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    1. Re: Erste shweinhund gepostierung by Qbertino · · Score: 2

      Was auch immer Du geraucht hast, gib mir bitte nichts davon ab!

      --
      We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
  3. Cost by SmaryJerry · · Score: 1

    Had they started using a windows is back in 2006, it's security would be no longer supported as well. If they can operate on Linux and are familiar, and I can't see why they would spend the money to change. I imagine they use them for basic tasks like email, typing word docs, excel sheets, and printing and not much else. In that case the free version will trump windows every time.

    1. Re:Cost by Known+Nutter · · Score: 1

      Leave The Cheeto out of this.

      --
      Beware of the Leopard.
    2. Re:Cost by Hallux-F-Sinister · · Score: 2

      Had they started using a windows is back in 2006, it's security would be no longer supported as well. If they can operate on Linux and are familiar, and I can't see why they would spend the money to change. I imagine they use them for basic tasks like email, typing word docs, excel sheets, and printing and not much else. In that case the free version will trump windows every time.

      Holy shit, why are you suddenly talking about Windows and Linux in a conversation about immigration, you... (looks up) oh, shit, is THAT what conversation this is? Jesus Christ did THAT go off the rails. Thanks for trying to bring it back. LOL

      --
      Our reign has gone on long enough. Indeed. Summon the meteors.
    3. Re: Cost by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      Most of it is probably screen pop to a shitty fucking web app.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    4. Re:Cost by nukenerd · · Score: 2

      I expect that it is because all those immigrants that Germany wants to employ cheaply instead of its own workers have been brought up on pirated copies of Windows.

  4. Shame by 110010001000 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It is a shame. Willingly paying for closed source malware and spyware isn't my idea of using money wisely.

    1. Re:Shame by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      That should tell you how much desktop Linux sucks ass.

    2. Re:Shame by DogDude · · Score: 2, Funny

      Linux can't run our .Net based applications natively.

      --
      I don't respond to AC's.
    3. Re:Shame by superdude72 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Here's the value of Windows: When something breaks, you can blame it on those dumbasses at Microsoft and no one will hold you responsible because you're just using the same platform that 95 percent of the world uses. When something breaks in Linux, it's all your fault because you took a chance on a screwball operating system to save a few euros.

      Back when IBM ruled the industry they had a slogan: "No one ever got fired for buying IBM." Well that's been the case with Microsoft since the '90s.

    4. Re:Shame by QuietLagoon · · Score: 2

      ...Linux can't run our .Net based applications natively....

      Why does anyone write applications that are tied to one operating system?

    5. Re:Shame by CastrTroy · · Score: 1, Troll

      Make a spreadsheet that has tables functionality. Excel is the only spreadsheet that has this feature, and it is extremely useful. Excel only runs on Windows.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    6. Re:Shame by Phics · · Score: 3, Insightful

      An excellent question, but unfortunately organizations don't always have the luxury of selecting software that isn't. Different industries have different software requirements that often bind their hands with respect to OS choice. For example, healthcare require specific features in an EMR, and there may not be enough of a selection out there in that specialized field to allow for the luxury of selecting Linux, at least not in a simplified way... and part of the reason for this, is, even if you could run such clients on Linux, (with the help of Mono or other tech), the proprietary support from some of these companies would not allow for it. It becomes too much of a hassle, and nobody in these industries care much for starting a "holy war" over an ecosystem that they don't invest much heart or soul into. In healthcare, for example, patient care is all that matters, and whether that happens in Linux or Windows is typically a very minor concern.

      --
      There are two types of people in the world; those who believe there are two types of people, and those who don't.
    7. Re:Shame by ArchieBunker · · Score: 1

      Why not when you can have it run on >80% of desktop computers?

      --
      Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
    8. Re:Shame by Tough+Love · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Who benefits by replacing inherently secure Linux with malware magnet Windows? Russia does most certainly. And just need to coopt as few as one official, a few weeks of over-the-paunch sex should do it, easier than winning at Russian roulette.

      --
      When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
    9. Re: Shame by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

      What are you using? I use KDE Plasma. Doesn't suck, far from it.

      --
      When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
    10. Re:Shame by Tough+Love · · Score: 2

      In healthcare, for example, patient care is all that matters, and whether that happens in Linux or Windows is typically a very minor concern.

      Today, Windows computers are routinely exploited to gain access to such critical infrastructure as the power grid. Why would you want to put your life at risk by helping the bad guys get into your medical devices too?

      --
      When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
    11. Re:Shame by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Linux lacks virus support. It doesn't even have DDE nor OLE (whatever those are), nor does it support fall creators or come with a Metro UI. Anybody in the world can use your Windows PC. Windows offers two esoteric web browsers (except where the EU forbids that). Windows can play games (where it plays the cat and you are the mouse). Windows is better at consuming RAM, CPU power, disc space and network bandwidth. Windows produces economic growth (MS shareholders agree), whereas free software makes third world countries compete against America. Linux is only partly written in the U.S. The learning curve for Linux is too short and shallow. Linux does not really have 'desktop' or 'server' editions: any Tux will run any app.

    12. Re:Shame by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      Sad but true - it's your fault.
      A few years ago I was porting an application to Linux and had a recurring problem with one particular workstation which would loose keyboard functionality and freeze after a reboot. It turned out that Linux became confused about which keyboard was active during system boot if the workstation was connected to a network with an active VPN session between other workstations. That resulted in corruption of a critical configuration file which then needed to be reinstalled before the next reboot or the keyboard would disappear. It was terribly irritating and I wanted to make sure my code wasn't messing things up. I am not a "member of the community" but took a few hours to document how to reproduce the bug at will (it was weird but not that hard and definitely not related to my code), document the corruption in the configuration file, and submit a bug report. I stupidly thought someone would appreciate the effort I went to documenting the situation that exposed the problem. Nope. Instead, I was told that I should fix the bug myself. When I tried to explain that I was working on a project for my employer and had neither the time nor Linux OS skill to do such work, I got a nasty reply basically saying that if I didn't want to support "the community" by fixing the bug then "the community" could not help me because "that's how the community works." . I finished my port and documented the malfunctioning configuration for "my community" so my users could avoid it. The experience soured me on "the Linux community" for a long, long time.

    13. Re: Shame by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

      Kde is too slow for network files.

      Whaaaat?

      --
      When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
    14. Re: Shame by spyfrog · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I work in this industry and there is laws here that state that we have to have specific tests and development for this kind of software and the suppliers simply doesn't want to support Linux or any other platform than Windows. Most doesn't even support OSX. The only alternative to comply with the laws and use Linux would be a internally developed system. Security isn't something that the laws in this field take into account so Windows problems there doesn't count unfortunately.

    15. Re:Shame by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      So you got a rude reply. Guess what happens in the commercial world? They write a compiler that doesn't manage to do a typedef correctly, you need to debug, provide a trivial test-case and quote them the spec that they are actually wrong (as they keep claiming there is no bug), months later and after a lot of time invested they acknowledge it. Yet another few months later they come back and say they are too busy, couldn't we do without it for a while longer.
      I've seen few companies where you'd get something better than the same reaction as you got from the "community", just with more politeness but minus the option to fix it yourself.
      Same company has a tool that would be very useful if it supported pipes. Unfortunately someone felt they needed to add a stat call to make sure the input is a file. They've not managed to remove that single line of useless check in about a year.
      They don't say "fuck off". But they're happy to leave you hoping until you die of old age (or at least retire). I still consider "fuck off" the reply I'd rather get.
      Even though I admit your frustration at the episode is justified. I just disagree on it being an argument FOR proprietary.

    16. Re: Shame by Hallux-F-Sinister · · Score: 1

      LOL at your sig... every problem starts to look like a thumb... heheheheheh... thanks, I needed that today. aaahhhhh... :')

      --
      Our reign has gone on long enough. Indeed. Summon the meteors.
    17. Re:Shame by DogDude · · Score: 1

      Because Java didn't work out for lots of different reasons.

      --
      I don't respond to AC's.
    18. Re:Shame by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Willingly paying for closed source malware and spyware isn't my idea of using money wisely.

      Since when do enterprises get the malware and spyware version?

    19. Re:Shame by fazig · · Score: 1

      We're talking about state employees here. As far as my personal experiences with people who are employed by the German states go, they're among the least competent people that you can find. They could probably handle a desktop Android without further training but not your usual Linux distros.

    20. Re: Shame by tonique · · Score: 1

      In the commercial realm, there's Bricscad also for Linux. It is quite compatible with Autocad.

    21. Re: Shame by Billly+Gates · · Score: 1

      A sane UI meant for desktops not phones complete with a start menu and controls to Maximize and resize Windows familiar to the user, Active Directory and group policy, Organization units, Oracle software, legacy stuff, activeX aka COM Excel and IE add-ons, printer drivers, wifi connectivity with EAP and all devices, Endpoint Security Protection software, Outlook for Free/Busy meeting & invites, system restore and chkdisk that mere techs can use(not senior admins), bitlocker, .pac files proxy, ADFS single sign on, federations and trusts with other entities that use Windows for access, Excel, and the list goes on and on.

        Gnome 3 and current KDE is shit and that doesn't even address the list above.

      --
      http://saveie6.com/
    22. Re: Shame by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      Ubuntu 10.10 was the peak....it dipped roughly below the peak and has been hovering there for ten years.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    23. Re: Shame by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      As COO I wouldn't touch Linux with a ten foot pole unless it was in the data center and not RedHat and not involving winbind.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    24. Re: Shame by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      You assertions about cross platform are quickly becoming wrong and harmful.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    25. Re: Shame by ShoulderOfOrion · · Score: 2

      This is the real issue. Most users are technically illiterate. Yes, they may be in their 20s and can multitask Instagram and Facebook at the same time, but really, they are crazy technically illiterate. When the network connection drops and they don't realize it's because they kicked the CAT6 cable out of its socket, they call the IT department. IT workers that know Linux can only take so much of that before they move on to better jobs for the sake of their sanity. For a Windows IT worker, that's just a normal day on the job. They don't have better jobs to move on to.

    26. Re: Shame by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Security isn't something that the laws in this field take into account so Windows problems there doesn't count unfortunately.

      Something is wrong in this world when building construction related laws and regulations change according to the developing issues and new materials, but regulations for building digital systems doesn't.

    27. Re:Shame by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Please. Windows hasn't been a malware magnet for years. The vast majority of malware out there targets applications (Adobe is good for this) and silly users who will run executables with admin privileges. There's very little malware out there targeting any OS these days.

    28. Re: Shame by Maelwryth · · Score: 1

      Seconded. Plasma just works.

      --
      I reserve the write to mangle english.
  5. Interesting dilemma by Kohath · · Score: 3, Funny

    Idealism vs. getting shit done. It's no surprise that Germany's government is choosing getting shit done.

    They should try that for electricity generation next.

    1. Re:Interesting dilemma by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      What, exactly, isn't getting "done" when they use Linux? The only thing that isn't getting done is that some MS sales rep isn't getting paid and thus isn't bribing the right people.

    2. Re:Interesting dilemma by Kohath · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Every decision I don't like is always motivated by someone getting bribed. If people stopped taking bribes and started to do the things that appeal to me emotionally, everything in the world would be a paradise for all.

    3. Re:Interesting dilemma by Calydor · · Score: 3, Interesting

      After dealing with German bureaucracy for the past eight years I can assure you, the German government's list of interests doesn't include "Get shit done".

      --
      -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
    4. Re: Interesting dilemma by Kohath · · Score: 1, Interesting

      The overwhelming majority of everyone chooses X. Germany now also chooses X. You really think bribery and corruption are the most likely reasons?

    5. Re: Interesting dilemma by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      There has to be some reason for the state to make a choice that clearly hurts them in multiple severe ways.
      An expensive, buggy, insecure, spyware-ridden OS that's ILLEGAL to bugfix? Follow the money.

    6. Re: Interesting dilemma by Kohath · · Score: 1

      There has to be some reason for the state to make a choice that clearly hurts them in multiple severe ways.

      Most obvious possible reason: they disagree. They don't think it hurts them.

    7. Re: Interesting dilemma by Billly+Gates · · Score: 1

      Hey I am a non techie CFO and need an Excel file with 50,000 rows in 25 columns which pull data from an Oracle database and uses thingie called SmartView Excel add-on. Can you help me?

      Oh I forget to mention the German department of revenue is serving a file on a corporate Windows based share internally that I need to access. Their documentation mentioned about a trust relationship between something called a domain and ADFS SSO single sign on MFA authentication needs to be set so we can access material whatever that is?!?

      Oh and I am trying to use Free/Busy on Mozilla Thunderbird to set a Skype meeting invite with their tech department and I don't see it! 101010101 HELP?!

      --
      http://saveie6.com/
    8. Re:Interesting dilemma by hairyfeet · · Score: 1

      Anything to do with office work because Linux is for PROGRAMMERS not office workers? I'm sorry dude by MS Office from 10 years ago kicks the dogshit out of the latest and greatest LibreOffice, not even close. try doing anything even slightly complex like working with tables and watch how quickly LO shits itself and falls down...its just sad.

      A customer asked me to set up LO to auto generate a calendar for each month and I get paid $75 an hour so time IS money but hey I figured "hey surely its as simple as MS Office, it IS just a simple calendar after all"...nope, searched the LO database and the best one i could find was a glued together POS that required ME to write code to get it to interface with the OS to get the date to set up the correct layout, otherwise all it did was crank out a worthless generic 30 day calendar. I told him it was gonna cost him more than the cost of MS Office to make me set there and write that shit so he asked me how simple it was in MS Office...I popped open my netbook, typed "calendar" in MS Office which popped up the MSO Online DB, clicked on calendar, hit install...done. Then I just clicked "new calendar" and it would auto-generate a perfect calendar with the month and year in one of 4 styles,ez pz...needless to say he bought himself a copy of MSO on the spot.

      This doesn't even begin to touch the bazillion other programs which Windows has that Linux isn't even close, from Exchange and Excel to Quicken/Quickbooks to the billing software that most companies use, I'm sorry but Linux? Great for programmers and maybe grandmas that only use PCs to surf (but I would argue that a locked down iPad or Android Tablet would be better for those) but for everybody else? Yeah sorry but its about as useful as taking away their PCs and replacing them with a Llama.

      --
      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
    9. Re:Interesting dilemma by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      On the other hand I can open files with x00,000 lines in LibreOffice but Excel crashes miserably with the same files so I guess each has its strengths.

  6. Strange by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    What are their most bigger issues with Linux as desktop?

    1. Re:Strange by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Try this anecdotal evidence:
      Open LibreOffice Calc 6.0.2.1, rotate text 180 and add borders. Things look, print and export with huge black lines.

      Open random docx your friend or colleague sent you, it looks different or even terrible (yes, they are bad at formatting, yes, it would look slightly better if you had Microsoft fonts installed).

      Print a document to an USB printer, unplug it during printing. Now google how to "Enable" your cups printer.

      Open Firefox on your touchscreen laptop, try finger scrolling. It selects text instead. It luckily works in Chromium.

  7. Where tax payers should be concerned is... by mykepredko · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That this is being done *without* a cost-benefit analysis.

    There is a certain amount of politics here, but if I were a citizen/tax payer of Lower Saxony I'd be mostly concerned that this is being done before an analysis is available.

    I understand that Open Suse 12.2 and 12.3 are obsolete, but I would think that migrating to Leap 42 or Leap 15 would would be a lot cheaper than buying Windows 10 licenses. In TFA, they cite the issue that telephone support is now being done on Windows - but I would think that it would be more cost effective to move them to Linux.

    But, without any kind of analysis, the people who are going to pay for this won't know.

    --
    Mimetics Inc. Twitter
    1. Re:Where tax payers should be concerned is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Licenses are, typically, a small factor to consider when choosing large scale software, especially operating systems. I agree that the apparent lack of cost benefit is a concern, but the real cost isn't software, it's getting it working. MCSE qualified people are ten a penny but a good Linux sysadmin is expensive. Factoring all costs, not just software licenses, it's a sad fact that Windows can actually come out as a cheaper option, or at least closely competitive.

      Add that to the "what everyone else is using" bandwaggon and you get a vicious circle of terrible software coming out on top.

      All that said I'd be genuinely surprised if upgrading to the latest Suse would not be, hands down, the most sensible & cost effective option since they're already got the Suse experienced talent working for them.

    2. Re:Where tax payers should be concerned is... by mykepredko · · Score: 2

      From TFA:

      Lower Saxony's tax authority will now conduct a cost-benefit analysis on the migration.

      Decision was made before the analysis was done.

      --
      Mimetics Inc. Twitter
    3. Re:Where tax payers should be concerned is... by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Decision was made before the analysis was done.

      A quick guide on how things work in Germany, not just in politics but also in private businesses. All those things you hold for granted in the USA, the ability to work together with someone from another department, or the adoption of an "idea" all of those have hopelessly bureaucratic channels to work through. Pretty much every thing you need to do over here involves you doing the hard work up front off the books to convince your boss (or someone else's) that doing the hard work is actually worth the time after which you will get approval to do the hard work formally retrospectively.

      There is not a single thing I have done in Germany in the past 9 months where the paperwork doesn't say that the decision was made before the analysis, however in the interest of never having an idea knocked back because the analysis fails to backup the idea it is actually always done beforehand, bonus points that they have a working example to draw on making this unofficial analysis easy.

      Don't believe everything you read verbatim in the media. Especially in politics, and especially in such a frigging super stricked black and white rule oriented country like Germany.

  8. POTUS declares EU as fiend by sanf780 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If EU is not a friend anymore according to Trump, why does the EU allow USA software in their administration?

    1. Re:POTUS declares EU as fiend by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      Big corporations like MS are no longer US companies. They are mega-conglomerates that are above national boundaries. The real question is why is any government running closed source software?

    2. Re:POTUS declares EU as fiend by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 3, Interesting

      If EU is not a friend anymore according to Trump, why does the EU allow USA software in their administration?

      Snarky answer:

      . . . probably because the EU is thinking long term, and that in six years, Trump won't be POTUS anymore.

      And then everyone will pretend to be friends again.

      Realistic answer:

      . . . probably for the same reason that the US government is using software from SAP, produced in Germany, an enemy state of the US in the current government's eyes.

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    3. Re:POTUS declares EU as fiend by Goglu · · Score: 1

      Stupid comment: the US would NEVER spy on Germany!!!

    4. Re:POTUS declares EU as fiend by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      Yes, and presidential terms last 4 years, with a limit of 2 terms. That's 8 years, it's been (rounded up) 2.

      8 - 2 = ??

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    5. Re:POTUS declares EU as fiend by Kohath · · Score: 1

      Same reason China uses US-designed semiconductors: no viable homegrown alternatives, now or in the foreseeable future. With some noteworthy exceptions, Europe has been falling further behind in areas of technology recently.

    6. Re:POTUS declares EU as fiend by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      If EU is not a friend anymore according to Trump, why does the EU allow USA software in their administration?

      Because the EU like the rest of the sane world understand that shit coming from Trump's mouth is just that. Also common, EU is not a friend? Where did you get that idea from? Tuesday? As of Wednesday we're besties working towards open trade and Junker even gave Trump a kiss on the cheek.

      Don't worry though, a stopped clock is wrong twice a day, and pretty much anything you think Trump thinks about something or someone is probably correct every other week too. Now that we're besties I fully expect him to launch drone strikes against Brussels.

    7. Re:POTUS declares EU as fiend by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      It was PolygamousRanchKid who said that was long tern; not me. Try again?

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
  9. Re:Is Windows 10 really an option? by admin7087 · · Score: 1

    I'm pretty sure they get a special deal as corporate/state administration customers. Using a normal copy of Windows 10 would definitely violate German data protection standards.

  10. No by ArchieBunker · · Score: 2

    I wish more companies would make OSX builds of software. I'd run a hackintosh in a heartbeat.

    --
    Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
  11. Linux is the worst by OrangeTide · · Score: 1

    I hate it when an operating system doesn't charge me thousands of dollars per year to renew licenses

    --
    “Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
    1. Re:Linux is the worst by jonesy16 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You must not be using an enterprise version then. RedHat charges $299 per workstation license, per year, if you want support, $179 if you want to do it yourself. You can get the desktop version with no support, but you're still going to pay $49 / yr. Windows 10 is $84 / yr in comparison. So if you're going to compare apples to apples by comparing the pricing of enterprise licensing with support, then you're not really any better off in either camp.

    2. Re:Linux is the worst by brucekeller · · Score: 1

      Couldn't you just hire a few techs that actually know Linux and not just how to use grep and they could be the support? Most of the changes needed to be made could easily be automated.

    3. Re:Linux is the worst by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

      You must not be using an enterprise version then. RedHat charges $299 per workstation license, per year.

      Somebody uses Redhat for workstations? Who? The vast majority of Redhat installs are servers. Stupidly expensive maintenance subscriptions imho, but it makes sense to somebody. I suppose, the cost is nothing compared to managing more machines with fewer admins.

      --
      When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
    4. Re:Linux is the worst by cascadingstylesheet · · Score: 2

      You must not be using an enterprise version then. RedHat charges $299 per workstation license, per year, if you want support, $179 if you want to do it yourself. You can get the desktop version with no support, but you're still going to pay $49 / yr. Windows 10 is $84 / yr in comparison. So if you're going to compare apples to apples by comparing the pricing of enterprise licensing with support, then you're not really any better off in either camp.

      And?

      Realistically, most places with Windows support it themselves. That's while still paying for the licenses.

      And you know perfectly well there are good usable Linux distributions that don't require paid support licenses. With Windows, you pay whether you use any support or not, no matter what.

      With Linux you can have any kind of custom distribution you want. Not so, Windows.

      Linux, "telemetry" optional. Windows, mandatory ...

    5. Re:Linux is the worst by PmanAce · · Score: 2

      No, it's the users that don't know how to use it, they are used to windows at home or elsewhere. That is the main problem.

      --
      Tired of my customary (Score:1)
    6. Re:Linux is the worst by cascadingstylesheet · · Score: 1

      You must not be using an enterprise version then. RedHat charges $299 per workstation license, per year.

      Somebody uses Redhat for workstations? Who? The vast majority of Redhat installs are servers. Stupidly expensive maintenance subscriptions imho, but it makes sense to somebody. I suppose, the cost is nothing compared to managing more machines with fewer admins.

      It's a lame debate tactic. Yeah, if you cherry pick the most expensive way you could use Linux, it's expensive. How about that.

    7. Re:Linux is the worst by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

      I'm not saying Linux is expensive. I am saying, some server operators choose to pay a lot of money to Red Hat, when any serious Linux geek knows it's probably a dump idea because free distros are at least as reliable and usually have more up to date kernels. That's their business.

      The big boys like Google, Facebook and even Microsoft don't buy per-machine support from Red Hat, and for the most do not run RPM-based distros. They do however hire Red Hat for consulting from time to time.

      Speaking of lame, it's kind of lame to not read the post you are replying and notice that you're actually arguing on the same side.

      --
      When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
    8. Re: Linux is the worst by cascadingstylesheet · · Score: 1

      I was agreeing with you, and arguing (implicitly) with the guy you had replied to.

    9. Re:Linux is the worst by jonesy16 · · Score: 1

      It's not a debate tactic, it's a factual reference to the cost of enterprise level OS installations/support. OpenSUSE is about the same cost so there isn't any cherry picking of the most expensive solution. You're taking this whole debate out of context. We're talking about a government purchasing an operating system for tens of thousands of workstations. They will NOT support those all internally, they most likely WANT it to be certified on their hardware, and none of their employees are going to put their necks on the line and say "I'll support this internally." Even to hire the dedicated staff to do so would be expensive (remember that employees cost you in salary, benefits, pensions, or whatever the German equivalent is).

      If cost were the primary motivator they would just take the default Windows install that comes with the hardware they could buy in bulk from someone like Dell. The 20+ year hatred of Microsoft on this website doesn't excuse anyone from trying to understand how big businesses that use machines "just to get things done" don't care about the 0.5% performance gain you got from compiling your own distro or the $49 you saved by using your open-source office app that struggles to interchange recent file formats.

      And yes, I'm sure that Microsoft has a much better understanding of international data privacy laws and has no problem tailoring their OS to support a government's specific needs. They've been doing it for decades. But *surprise*, for basic home users they're going to try and scrape some information they deem useful that, at the end of the day, likely isn't going to affect you one iota. And now everyone else will jump on me for that in between checking their Gmail account and Facebook feed, but I'm the loose-lipped liberal ;-)

    10. Re: Linux is the worst by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

      Heh, then my comment was self referential.

      --
      When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
    11. Re:Linux is the worst by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

      And it's usually a mistake to accept the claims of a random shill without verifying. What does "if you want to do it yourself" mean? The $299 is for "developer workstation" including "incident reports" (means access to Redhat's bugzilla?) not a "workstation license". In fact, Redhat doesn't sell a "license", they sell a "workstation" for $49. Presumably you pay for Redhat putting it onto a disk because "license" is a loaded term, sounding too much like additional restrictions.

      Redhat store

      Redhat is in the bottled water business... what they sell is free, you pay for getting it conveniently in a bottle with somebody at least minimally attesting as to its quality. Funny business that, selling free stuff for money, but it works. You pay for it if you want to. If you don't want to pay, download the exact same thing from Centos, also run by Redhat. I don't begrudge Redhat their business model at all. Compared to Microsoft, there is no such thing as being sued by Redhat for a license violation, that is, unless you go full evil on GPL license violations, that's another thing.

      --
      When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
  12. I have for 20 years by aepervius · · Score: 1

    I have dealt with German bureaucracy for more than 20 years now. They are way better than most bureaucracy around the world. And they do indeed get shit done, the problem is that they are stickler for rules, and many people dislike that and feel it is a waste of time. No offense but you seem to belong to that category...

    --
    C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
    visit randi.org
    1. Re:I have for 20 years by Kjella · · Score: 1

      And they do indeed get shit done, the problem is that they are stickler for rules, and many people dislike that and feel it is a waste of time.

      Rules as such are okay, the problem is when you've painted yourself into a corner nobody's the slightest bit flexible or helpful on how to get out of there. It could be because you've missed or misunderstood something, didn't understand the dependencies or somehow did it wrong. In other countries I've had some success with "Well maybe this wasn't the right way but this is where I am now so what can I do from here?" and get a useful answer. Germans like to reply "You should have..." and okay, I should have. But that doesn't help me right now...

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    2. Re:I have for 20 years by Calydor · · Score: 2

      No, the problem is EXACTLY that they are a stickler for rules rather than getting things done. There is no flexibility, no grey area in which things get done unless the rules specifically allow it.

      Let me give you a very recent example. A year ago I had eye surgery to get a cornea transplant, and to help the cornea attach and not be rejected I'm taking a series of different medications and eye drops. Monday of this week I went to my doctor to refill my prescription for my eye drops only to find out he's on vacation until the second week of August. Ouch, not smart, and yes I should have paid attention to his vacation schedule.

      I had the great idea of sending an email to the hospital that did the surgery and where I go for checkups every few months, asking them to write me a prescription just this once.

      They refused. Why? Because I hadn't been there this quarter and to do ANYTHING for me they need a new referral from my doctor.

      The doctor that's on vacation.

      HOW is that getting shit done? They refused to get me the eye drops that are required to help my eye heal because of bureaucracy.

      --
      -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
    3. Re:I have for 20 years by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      There's no problem with sticking to rules. The problem is the formation and design of the rules in the first place. The Dutch are good at sticking to rules too, however the rules don't actually get in the way of progress.

      In Germany specifically sticking to the rules IS a waste of time and the rules result in very little benefit other than to keep the bureaucratic wheel turning and people employed. Japan has a similar culture and set of rules.

  13. No. Linux isn't always an option. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    You can't be this clueless.

    Seriously, there are 10,000+ applications that are only written for Windows. Many have HW drivers which also only work on Windows.

    My boss asked, no, he begged, me to find a way to swap in Linux over Windows for our 25K technicians. Keeping those laptops patched was killing us. So I got a list of the main 10 tools the technicians ran and started looking for alternatives that could work under Linux. I contacted the current vendors to get pricing for Linux ports of the software and drivers. These laptops are used to troubleshoot telecom equipment over serial connections. Each has a proprietary interface - the equipment, not the laptops. We had over $250M into the systems, back-ends, laptops, and all the software involved from mainframes to HP-UX to Windows servers to the laptops. That doesn't include the $billions for the equipment near your office or house or down the street or in COs. Adding 1 new interface between existing systems on the current OSes was $150K - this is something that would take 3 people less than a month of effort to complete, test, fully QA and document (I used to write enterprise software). We were paying MSFT about $5M/yr for licenses for those employees. Yes, it sucked, but changing to Linux was going to be $200+M and since we would be the first to make the migration, others telecom companies around the world would get lower prices, but not us. Basically, if you have phone service, DSL, fibre, ATM, metro ethernet, or almost any other data service, these are the guys who physically install the equipment and test to ensure it is all working perfectly.

    No. Linux isn't always an option.

    BTW, I'm 95% Linux and have been since 2007. For me, there are 4 applications for which I still need Windows. Video editing, stock investing, taxes, and free TV schedule data. The other 500+ things are all Linux solved. The Linux alternative for video editing is getting close, but not there yet. TV schedule data is $25/yr, no legal alternative exists. Taxes can be done online, but my stock investment technical analysis tool only runs on Windows. It doesn't run under WINE. For the amount of money that program has made me over the decades, $100/yr for Windows isn't an issue. I'm running it on a free Win7 install that MSFT gave away during a launch party. ;)

  14. Re:LOL by Tough+Love · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is the graph that should worry Microsoft.

    --
    When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
  15. Windows by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Sorry I cant help you right now my computer is updating.

  16. Re:Its about software not the OS by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

    Unfortunately the OS only matters in terms of what software it can run.

    And Windows can't run Android apps, so it is doomed.

    But not too soon I hope, because I quite like the cheap PC hardware scene for Linux installs. Who woulda thunkit, Windows hardware turns out to be more open for desktop Linux than Google machines.

    --
    When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
  17. 13 000 points of entry for NSA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    you've already read in the NSA and CIA leaks how the U.S. talks of you as an ally, but still breaches and sabotages your networks.

    Now, with your new 13 000 Windows machines, you make it even easier for them to get inside, and hoover up sensitive data.

    Someone in the German government has been greased well to make this stupid decision...

  18. Which state? by Hallux-F-Sinister · · Score: 1

    Which state would switch FROM a version of GNU/Linux to MS WINDOWS of all things... Would that be the state of Dumkopf Obersheiß? Have they never heard of oh, I dunno, any other distro of Linux? Does SUSE not have an updated version they could update or upgrade to? Is it such a rich state that they have money coming out of their ears that they can afford to throw it away giving more money to Microsoft? Was der geliteral Fuckenstein?

    --
    Our reign has gone on long enough. Indeed. Summon the meteors.
  19. Re:LOL by DogDude · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Why? MS already bailed on phones, unfortunately. They never made money on them, apparently. People still need real computers and likely will for a long, long time. Android doesn't compete with Windows in any way.

    --
    I don't respond to AC's.
  20. In Soviet Russia... by Hallux-F-Sinister · · Score: 1

    German State switches Windows to YOU. Or... um... something...
     
    I'll... see myself out.

    --
    Our reign has gone on long enough. Indeed. Summon the meteors.
  21. The numbers by eneville · · Score: 1

    They have 13,000 linux-based computers, but after paying €50m to migrate they'll deploy 29,000 windows computers. This is bonkers. There has got to be conflict of interest here somewhere.

    --
    Why UNIX?
  22. Re:LOL by Tough+Love · · Score: 2

    Right, MS bailed on phones, therefore losing the war. Google is moving radidly into the full PC desktop space with ChromeOS aka Linux (check out Crostini) and they already have a lock on the cloud productivity space. You will also see ChromeOS increasingly present with a standard windowing interface. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that many major software vendors are already eyeing ChromeOS ports. That's Microsoft's last line of defence.

    Even without defeating Microsoft on its home turf, the world is just changing. Most users never did need to run a spreadsheet, now many of them don't even need to run a word processor. They do things by messaging now, not by documents. The world is moving on and Microsoft just can't.

    --
    When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
  23. Re:LOL by thegarbz · · Score: 1

    Why? Kids playing with toys doesn't affect the OS that is used to keep the economy going. And if someone decided they do want to attempt to do work on their phone, MS is right there with the complete office suite available on Android.

  24. Re:LOL by Tough+Love · · Score: 2

    Google is moving radidly into the full PC desktop space with ChromeOS aka Linux (check out Crostini [chromeunboxed.com]) and they already have a lock on the cloud productivity space.

    Are you high? ChomeOS is a blip in a rounding error of the market share.

    Are you drunk? Chromebook shipments surge by 38 percent, cutting into Windows 10 PCs. Chromebooks are perennial Amazon bestsellers. Chromebooks hold a majority of the US K-12 market. Chromebooks can do everything Android can. Time to sober up. Or don't, nobody cares about your Slashdot upchuck.

    Did I mention, Chromebooks are pretty damn secure.

    --
    When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
  25. outcome? by nten · · Score: 1

    I'm really curious how this turned out. I am all frustrated on your behalf ready to threaten a pharmacist to prevent your eyes from falling out. I hate rules and authority with an irrational passion. And yet I rarely change panes without signaling and become irritated at people who do. Maybe that is a politeness thing not a rule thing. I do like politeness. Right up to the point someone is quoting rules at me while my immune system is removing my new corneas.

    --
    refactor the law, its bloated, confusing and unmaintainable.
    1. Re:outcome? by Calydor · · Score: 1

      It turned out such that I am using some leftover eyedrops of a different brand I used to use before they swapped me to the current ones. Never got a reply to my second email asking if they understood the problem of telling me they couldn't help me while my doctor was away until they could get a note from the doctor who is away.

      --
      -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
  26. FAIL. by sproketboy · · Score: 1

    HAHAHHAHA

  27. Re:LOL by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

    Kids playing with toys doesn't affect the OS that is used to keep the economy going.

    Haha, that's really funny. Surely you have not forgotten that the PC was originally a toy home computer to compete with Apple II.

    Even if you are a knuckledragger with mod points you did not change the facts because the internet remembers

    --
    When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
  28. Re:LOL by PmanAce · · Score: 1

    So you are comparing cell phones to computers? I wonder which one people buy more...

    --
    Tired of my customary (Score:1)
  29. Re:LOL by holostarr · · Score: 1

    People like you don't even know what they are championing. I mean what is the point you are trying to make? You hate Windows because it isn't open source and free, or you believe it spies on you, but you celebrate ChromeOS which is made by Google who has a worse reputation for spying than Microsoft? Who cares if the kernel is Linux if the rest of the OS is built to spy on you? And furthermore, the ChromeOS experience is nothing like the Linux desktop experience. Aside from running on the Linux kernel, the end user has zero exposure to what makes Linux, Linux!
    Also why do people like you care what percent of people run Windows or Linux? It's not like more devices running the Linux kernel somehow translate to better support for the Linux desktop! I mean there are now more Android devices out there then Windows, but this has done absolutely nothing for the Linux desktop!
    I could understand this "fight" for FOSS and Linux, 20 maybe even 10 years ago because the world needed more than one major OS, but times have changed, Linux isn't going anywhere and neither is Windows!

  30. Re:Its about software not the OS by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

    Who woulda thunkit, Windows hardware turns out to be more open for desktop Linux than Google machines.

    Unless you get a google machine to which someone has ported libreboot...

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  31. Re:Its about software not the OS by cowdung · · Score: 1

    It all comes down to Microsoft Office. If you have it then people will want to use your machine. If you don't they'll rebel.

    LibreOffice, OpenOffice, Google Docs don't cut it. People want MS Office. If they had that they wouldn't care if its Linux or AmigaOS or ProDos (well.. maybe they'd object to ProDos these days).

  32. The comments should be entertaining... by HerculesMO · · Score: 1

    I thought that people were over the "M$" as many folks have grown up in a different era but clearly, the old folks still haven't grown up at all yet. Tools are less important than business outcome and generally tends to favor Windows vs Linux. But hey, I guess the "M$" jokes or talk about how it costs money (so does losing time, by the way) is just a bit old considering I've been on this site for more than 20 years.

    --
    The price is always right if someone else is paying.
  33. Remote Desktops by meehawl · · Score: 1
    healthcare require specific features in an EMR, and there may not be enough of a selection out there in that specialized field to allow for the luxury of selecting Linux,

    I routinely use two of the larger EMRs, Epic and Cerner, at multiple sites and between different hospital groups. They all run as RDP/Citrix remote Windows sessions. I've run exactly the same sessions on a Linux machine. The underlying host OS is not that important.

    --

    Da Blog
  34. Re:LOL by Tough+Love · · Score: 2

    Let's be real: 99% of Windows revenue comes from companies who don't care about Android, ChromeOS or any other OS in their AD- fueled desktops.

    Good thing that segment of employees is shrinking so they can lay off some of those fat ass point and click Windows sysadmins.

    And when K12 and Android users get a job, they will also use.. a Windows desktop.

    See, that's the point, a lot of them won't because email isn't how you do things now, and Microsoft doesn't do a whole lot more of value. They don't even do a great job on email. So many businesses running on Gmail now. You don't need to accept my prediction, it's already a thing, and it's getting bigger fast. Why do you think PC sales are tanking?

    --
    When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
  35. Re:Its about software not the OS by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

    It all comes down to Microsoft Office. If you have it then people will want to use your machine.

    The 90's called and wants you back. Most people don't give a crap what they write their text on, most people don't even write documents like the old days. It's all instant messages and video chat now. You retired or something?

    --
    When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
  36. Re:Its about software not the OS by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

    The reality though is most apps are web based and windows still has more than 90% of the desktop marketshare and that is not changing anytime soon with no real competition out there.

    Microsoft is indeed hanging onto its illegally gotten share of the PC market but the PC market is shrinking fast, didn't get the memo?

    --
    When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
  37. Re:LOL by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

    So you are comparing cell phones to computers? I wonder which one people buy more...

    Seriously? Cell phones, or rather smart phones. Revenue for smartphones and tablets passed revenue for PCs/Laptops years ago.

    --
    When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
  38. In such case you can doctor hop by aepervius · · Score: 1

    "They refused. Why? Because I hadn't been there this quarter and to do ANYTHING for me they need a new referral from my doctor."

    Actually no they can't do anything if it is not an emergency/enduring disease, because first you have to be referred by A doctor. They count as specialist and before you go to a specialist baring emergency & chronicle disease, you have to got to a doctor. This actually avoid abuses and flooding specialist when not needed. But note that I said *a* doctor. Not *your* doctor. Doctor hoping is not illegal, and if you have a previous prescription and a good reason (e.g. anti rejection drug, or need a referral for a previous operation) and your doc is in holiday, then they won't bat an eye to do you a referral. I know that because I have done it more than once during doctor holidays.

    And yes you can directly go to a specialist in case of emergency or chronicle disease. The fact you are neither , and you could get an easy referral by another doc is WHY they did not accept you.

    --
    C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
    visit randi.org
    1. Re:In such case you can doctor hop by Calydor · · Score: 2

      And thus you prove the point that is being made - that the Rules are more important than Getting Shit Done.

      This is not some random hospital I contacted. This is a hospital where I have a current treatment going, but because the last time I was there was in April they refuse to write ONE prescription in order to Get Shit Done.

      --
      -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
  39. Re:LOL by thegarbz · · Score: 1

    Yeah I know. We'll all be writing our dissertations on our phones shortly. Which kind of leads me to my point: You'll be doing it with Microsoft Office on Android.

  40. Re:Shame-When merit meets ideology. by nukenerd · · Score: 1

    most Linux adoption is based upon ideology

    Most Windows adoption is based on inertia and sales pressure.

  41. Neal Stephenson vindicated by biggaijin · · Score: 1

    In "In the Beginning was the Command Line", Neal Stephenson says that while people can get Linux -- a tank that will go anywhere and do anything -- free, many often opt to purchase Windows -- a clunky station wagon that leaks oil, spends a lot of time in the shop, and is expensive -- instead. The reason for this is that all their neighbors have the leaky station wagon already and they are afraid of being different, the same reason that the German government seems to be using.

  42. Re:Its about software not the OS by fyzikapan · · Score: 1

    Can you tell me how I can get my company to accept and follow policies that were only discussed via instant messages and never actually typed up into a formal document? "We had a video chat about it" isn't going to fly when the auditors come knocking. "Oh we skyped and concluded that there was no bias in the model, but we have no documentation" seems unlikely to be a satisfactory answer.

    Your idiotic suggestion doesn't really scale past a handful of people.

  43. It was a shitty roll out by schweini · · Score: 1

    I saw the horrendously badly planned roll out some parts of the german government did, and I blame the process.
    A major problem was that many small purpose made pieces of software (passport printer drivers, biometric software, whatever) were Windows only. So many desks had a linux and a windows PC on them, and other silly things like that.
    They should have mandated that all software be either cross-platform, or web-based, first. Then afterwards make the switch.

  44. Re:Its about software not the OS by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

    Can you tell me how I can get my company to accept and follow policies that were only discussed via instant messages and never actually typed up into a formal document?

    That mostly happens on the web now, not in a word processor. And what does "formal document" mean? Offset printed on legal size sheets, impressed with the corporate seal? Get with it.

    --
    When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
  45. Re:LOL by vandamme · · Score: 1

    What's "unknown"? ChromeOS?

  46. Re:LOL by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

    "Unknown" and "other" both tend to be really big in these web stats. Identifying as googlebot to counter cloaking newsites is a thing, that would be mostly firefox meaning mostly Linux.

    --
    When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
  47. Re:LOL by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

    You'll be doing it with Microsoft Office on Android.

    Only a complete idiot would pay for that garbage instead of using Libreoffice for free. But face the facts: how many dissertations did you write last week, or in your entire life?

    --
    When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
  48. Re:LOL by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

    A single quarter blip does not a trend make. The home PC market continued its trip south and the biz segment will be following along shortly. These days, biz is about texting on your Android phone. How many laptop bags do you see in the wild? Be honest.

    --
    When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
  49. Wouldn't it be easier... by martinfb · · Score: 1

    Wouldn't it be easier, and cheaper, to migrate, and maintain, the field workers to Linux?

    --


    Self-importance and self-indulgence is the root of ALL evil.
  50. Re:LOL by vandamme · · Score: 1

    Just call me "Other", then! Ubuntu MATE, Mint, or Manjaro.