While the open source enthusiasts were already disheartened by Munich’s migration of official computers to Microsoft Windows and other proprietary software, it looks like another German state is following the footsteps and ditching the penguin.
As per a report from the German news site Heise, the tax department of the Lower Saxony state has decided to migrate to Windows, probably Windows 10; a spokesperson hinted at a migration to a “then current version.”
Currently, at the department, about 13,000 computers are running Linux-based operating system OpenSuse; these computers are also equipped with various open source software for fulfilling different office needs. This OpenSuse adoption took place in 2012; before that, the machines were running Solaris.
The reason being given behind this move to Windows is that Microsoft’s offering is already widely used in the financial administration on a large scale. So, a move to the same with “simplify procedures and to facilitate the software development in the tax consensus network.”
Another reason being given is the outdated OpenSuse versions 12.2 and 13.2, which aren’t supported by SUSE anymore.
In case you’re wondering about the migration cost, let me tell you that it’s a first-time project of 5.9 million euros, with 7 million euros for the following years. The cost-benefit analysis of the decision is still ongoing but this development is surely discouraging.
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