Authorities in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein have switched 30,000 civil servants from Microsoft Windows to Linux.
About reported publication ArsTechnika.
It is noted that the government has finally completed the pilot launch of LibreOffice and is now officially transferring all civil servants to the new operating system and new software.
The plans to switch to Linux were announced in 2021. At the time, local authorities said they would test LibreOffice for two years.
«Landtag has decided to switch from proprietary software to free open source systems», — said Daniel Gunther, Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein.
The state government offers a curriculum that will be constantly updated.
Why Linux?
There are many reasons for switching to Linux. Among the benefits of switching to open source software, officials cited greater security, cost-effectiveness, and the ability to coordinate between different systems.
In particular, one of the ministers of the region, Jan Philipp Albrecht, stated that Linux has less software requirements.
In addition, the Germans pointed to the dependence on cloud services, noting that proprietary software can provide greater data privacy.
It will also help the state budget: the creation of new systems will provide many jobs at the local level. And there will be no need to pay for licensed software.
Officials will abandon Microsoft Sharepoint and Exchange/Outlook in favor of Nextcloud and Open-Xchange.
It should be noted that as of the end of February 2024, Linux’s share of the desktop operating system market exceeded 4%.
At first glance, the figure may seem modest, but It took Linux 30 years to secure 3%. This milestone was reached last June.