The man who runs Munich’s central IT says there is no practical reason for the city to write off millions of euros and years of work to ditch its Linux-based OS for Windows.
The city authority is widely expected to swap Linux for Windows, due to support among Munich’s ruling SPD-CSU coalition for phasing out the use of open-source software.
Last month, the general council backed a proposal that the administration should investigate how long it will take and how much it will cost to build a Windows 10 client. Once the details are known, the council will vote on whether Windows should replace LiMux, a custom version of the Ubuntu OS that is used by more than 15,000 staff across the authority. The changeover would take place by 2021.
But now the man in charge of Munich’s central IT provider, IT@M, has said there is no technical reason to switch back to Windows, expressing surprise at the decision that the city should prepare to return.
Schneider said Munich had solved compatibility problems related to running line-of-business software on LiMux and swappping documents with outside organizations. These compatibility issues were cited by CSU politicians as being a key reason why Munich needs to change OS and to drop LibreOffice and other open-source software in favor of “commonly-used” alternatives.
Source: http://www.techrepublic.com/article/linux-in-munich-no-compelling-technical-reason-to-return-to-windows-says-citys-it-chief/
Submitted by: Arnfried Walbrecht
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