EU institutions test alternative to Microsoft (EUobserver) [LWN.net]

The EUobserver reports that the EU signed a contract with Microsoft after testing Linux. "While IT-experts recommended the Linux system and said it was as good as Microsoft, the institutions decided to sign a new deal with Microsoft, sources inside the institutions told the EUobserver."

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EU institutions test alternative to Microsoft (EUobserver)

Posted May 22, 2003 18:23 UTC (Thu) by rknasc (guest, #11401) [Link] (6 responses)

To EUObserver.com

In your article of 21.05.2003 entitled "EU institutions test alternative to Microsoft" there were two rather telling remarks. The first is that. according to the EU's IT experts, Linux is "As good as Microsoft - and free of charge". The fact the EU ignored it's own experts and essentially wasted taxpayers money leads us to look for some rationale. This comes in the statement by Harald Rømer that, "We need a system, which is safe and can operate in 11 languages - soon 20,". The safety and stability of Linux are nearly universally acknowledged as superior to Microsoft. Further, its internationalization is far better. When, for example, Iceland was looking for native language products, Microsoft refused to oblige due to the limited market. Open source software provided an alternative which allowed Iceland to move forward.

I would suggest that the selection by the EU of IT systems which are less secure, less stable, more expensive, and controlled by a non-EU company is shortsighted at best. We see this same type of baffling behavior in many governmental units here in the US. I can only hope that it is due to ignorance rather than undue influence by a colossal corporation.

Bob Nelson

EU institutions test alternative to Microsoft (EUobserver)

Posted May 22, 2003 20:27 UTC (Thu) by jdthood (guest, #4157) [Link] (1 responses)

Rob Nelson wrote:
> Harald Rømer [said:]
> We need a system, which is safe and
> can operate in 11 languages - soon 20.
> The safety and stability of Linux are nearly
> universally acknowledged as superior to Microsoft.

What he means is: safe for him. (Not: safe for users.)

It is safe for a purchaser to buy Windows instead of
Linux because (1) it's not his money and (2) no one
will blame him for making the same decision that
everyone else makes.

Once a few more large institutions move to Linux, Linux
will also be a "safe" option in this sense.

EU institutions test alternative to Microsoft (EUobserver)

Posted May 23, 2003 10:26 UTC (Fri) by coriordan (guest, #7544) [Link]

M$ may actually be further ahead in translations right now but I'm sure the necessary translation work could have been done for less than 10% of the money the EP spends on M$ licenses.

Personally, I don't think governments should be allowed to use non-Free software. The idea of a company telling a government what it can do with it's software systems sounds very backward to me.

Ciaran O'Riordan

EU institutions test alternative to Microsoft (EUobserver)

Posted May 22, 2003 20:28 UTC (Thu) by tjb2000 (guest, #1046) [Link]

This shows the incredible ignorance of people in power of technology and the brazenness of a monoplist who does use all of its power to influence people into extending their monoply. Harald Rømer obviaously has no idea what he is talking about.

EU institutions test alternative to Microsoft (EUobserver)

Posted May 22, 2003 21:13 UTC (Thu) by ernest (guest, #2355) [Link]

I suspect Harald Rømer is quite uncomfortable with the fact that his own PC's OS might be changed to use Linux too.

EU institutions test alternative to Microsoft (EUobserver)

Posted May 23, 2003 8:24 UTC (Fri) by beejaybee (guest, #1581) [Link] (1 responses)

Those of you fortunate enough to live in the "free world", please remember that the EU is run by an unelected commission noted for corruption. So don't act surprised when the EU acts in a way which seems to be illogical even when that hits us poor taxpayers in the pocket. So long as the fat cats get the cream, everything's fine by them.

I wonder how much silver Bill Gates had to press into the palms of the Maf^X^X^XEU Commission to fix this one?

EU institutions test alternative to Microsoft (EUobserver)

Posted May 23, 2003 22:05 UTC (Fri) by rknop (guest, #66) [Link]

Those of you fortunate enough to live in the "free world",

Inquiring minds want to know....

Just where is that nowadays?

When you're talking about the DMCA and software patents, Europe is the free world. When you're talking about the EU unelected commission, it's not.

Obviously some places are still freer than others... but is there any place any more that free software geeks would feel comfortable calling the "free world"? I have a hard time calling the USA that so long as we have the DMCA and software patents hanging around our necks.

-Rob