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kirk jim
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/softwa...for_Linux_switch/0,130061733,339274191,00.htm
When members of the French parliament and their assistants return from their
summer break, they will conduct parliamentary business on PCs running
Ubuntu.
Starting in June 2007, 1,154 desks will feature Linux-based PCs. During the
latest IT update for parliamentary assistants, the National Assembly decided
to switch from Windows to Linux, allowing the 577 parliament members to
switch to non-proprietary software for the first time.
The project was won by IT services company Linagora, an open-source
specialist, and Unilog. Mandriva was mentioned in several documents under
consideration but was eventually dropped.
As well as using the Ubuntu software, the parliament members and their
assistants will use Firefox, OpenOffice, Mozilla's messaging client
Thunderbird, and other applications.
Parliament members Richard Cazenave and Bernard Carayon, of the Union for a
Popular Movement party, have defended the project, noting that there are
certain advantages with open-source software, such as the reduced cost of
public IT equipment and the added value to French and European users.
Before making its decision, the assembly hired Atos Origin to undertake a
study into the matter, which concluded that "open-source solutions now offer
functionality adapted to the needs of MPs and will allow the realisation of
substantial economies despite certain installation and training costs." The
budget for switching from Windows to Linux is expected to be approximately
$105,000.
The French lower house is already using open-source software elsewhere in
its IT systems, including the Apache Web server and the Mambo content
management system. The parliament members' move to open source is the first
involving the switch of an operating system; previous initiatives have been
more focused on servers, OpenOffice and Firefox.
When members of the French parliament and their assistants return from their
summer break, they will conduct parliamentary business on PCs running
Ubuntu.
Starting in June 2007, 1,154 desks will feature Linux-based PCs. During the
latest IT update for parliamentary assistants, the National Assembly decided
to switch from Windows to Linux, allowing the 577 parliament members to
switch to non-proprietary software for the first time.
The project was won by IT services company Linagora, an open-source
specialist, and Unilog. Mandriva was mentioned in several documents under
consideration but was eventually dropped.
As well as using the Ubuntu software, the parliament members and their
assistants will use Firefox, OpenOffice, Mozilla's messaging client
Thunderbird, and other applications.
Parliament members Richard Cazenave and Bernard Carayon, of the Union for a
Popular Movement party, have defended the project, noting that there are
certain advantages with open-source software, such as the reduced cost of
public IT equipment and the added value to French and European users.
Before making its decision, the assembly hired Atos Origin to undertake a
study into the matter, which concluded that "open-source solutions now offer
functionality adapted to the needs of MPs and will allow the realisation of
substantial economies despite certain installation and training costs." The
budget for switching from Windows to Linux is expected to be approximately
$105,000.
The French lower house is already using open-source software elsewhere in
its IT systems, including the Apache Web server and the Mambo content
management system. The parliament members' move to open source is the first
involving the switch of an operating system; previous initiatives have been
more focused on servers, OpenOffice and Firefox.
