Munich of all places offers an interesting case study on open source software in German public service. They ditched MS 21 years ago despite Bill Gates’ personal lobbying of mayor Christian Ude. But they had to go back eventually because they simply couldn’t make the alternative (based on a custom Linux implementation with Libre Office) work. They’ve now shifted to using open source as much as possible without sacrificing interoperability.
They had to go back, because Microsoft moved it’s German Headquarters to Munich (and thus paying corporate taxes there)in a backroom deal with the Mayor
Munich of all places offers an interesting case study on open source software in German public service. They ditched MS 21 years ago despite Bill Gates’ personal lobbying of mayor Christian Ude. But they had to go back eventually because they simply couldn’t make the alternative (based on a custom Linux implementation with Libre Office) work. They’ve now shifted to using open source as much as possible without sacrificing interoperability.
This page has a great writeup on the topic: https://interoperable-europe.ec.europa.eu/collection/open-source-observatory-osor/document/munichs-long-history-open-source-public-administration
They had to go back, because Microsoft moved it’s German Headquarters to Munich (and thus paying corporate taxes there)in a backroom deal with the Mayor
Thanks for sharing. I remember reading about this while it was happening. Interested to see how it turned out.