Thought you guys might appreciate this happy bit of news from "Old Europe". ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Mobbs" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2003 12:23 AM Subject: [OxLUG] Private Eye article on Linux in local government
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > Hash: SHA1 > > Hi all, > > Some good news from this week's Private Eye (no.1082, 13th-26th June 2003, > page 11): > > > "Educashun News" > > Microsoft's annual renewable licenses continue to drain cash from the UK's > education system, where the company enjoys a virtual monopoly (eye 1062). > > In Germany, however, the Munich city authorities offer an interesting example. > By this time next year there won't be a sniff of Microsoft on any of the > 14,000 computers used in the city administration, which is to be switched to > open source Linux system with no annual fees to pay. > > The very idea put Microsoft in such a flap that CEO Steve Ballmer paid a > personal visit to Munich's mayor Christian Ude in March. But the city stood > form. A number of other German cities and public agencies are believed to be > watching Munich carefully and considering a switch themselves. > > Meanwhile in Birmingham the education authority has cautiously put a toe in > the water of open source software, using Star Office on the computers in it > new Laptops for Teachers scheme. Star Office, a word processor spreadsheet > and presentations package, is not strictly 100 percent "open source" (the > definition is complex but ensures that the source code for any open source > software can be redistributed with no fees payable, and can be incorporated > into other software and must be easily available - usually by downloading > from the Internet). > > It is given to all educational establishments for free by Sun Microsystems and > has no annual licensing fee. The cash saved already - and the scheme only > just started - had paid for more than 100 extra laptops on the scheme. > > > - -- > ========== > > "We are not for names, nor men, nor titles of Government, nor are we for > this party nor against the other but we are for justice and mercy and > truth and peace and true freedom, that these may be exalted in our nation, > and that goodness, righteousness, meekness, temperance, peace and unity > with God, and with one another, that these things may abound." > (Edward Burroughs, 1659 - from 'Quaker Faith and Practice') > > > Paul Mobbs, Mobbs' Environmental Investigations, > 3 Grosvenor Road, Banbury OX16 5HN, England > tel./fax (+44/0)1295 261864 > > email - [EMAIL PROTECTED] > website - http://www.fraw.org.uk/mobbsey.html > public key - http://www.fraw.org.uk/keylist.html > > > > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- > Version: GnuPG v1.2.2-rc1-SuSE (GNU/Linux) > > iD8DBQE+8PRntEaNwM05jx0RAtBqAKCyb/LwP0oZmKx9F0etufaS32tLRwCgk9D2 > Mmzuzo2vbqz6xgudChudolc= > =Y5lP > -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- > > _______________________________________________ RLUG mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.rlug.org/mailman/listinfo/rlug
