Schleswig-Holstein, Germany’s most northern state, is starting its switch from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice, and is planning to move from Windows to Linux on the 30,000 PCs it uses for local government functions.
Concerns over data security are also front and center in the Minister-President’s statement, especially data that may make its way to other countries. Back in 2021, when the transition plans were first being drawn up, the hardware requirements for Windows 11 were also mentioned as a reason to move away from Microsoft.
Saunders noted that “the reasons for switching to Linux and LibreOffice are different today. Back when LiMux started, it was mostly seen as a way to save money. Now the focus is far more on data protection, privacy and security. Consider that the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) recently found that the European Commission’s use of Microsoft 365 breaches data protection law for EU institutions and bodies.”
Both work out of the box really well. Sure, Windows will break inevitably, but it’s usually few months before it does. Office looks really good. And that’s all that matters.
You don’t have to convince me, by the way, I’ve been using Linux for 15 years. But I’ve been in IT pretty much all of my adult life.
Until developers make stuff really good looking out of the box, FOSS will be still the ugly thing no one except IT people want to use.