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Yet another European government is ditching Microsoft for Linux - here's why
"We're done with Teams!" declared Digitalisation Minister Dirk Schrödter, speaking via an open-source video platform, in his announcement that the German state of Schleswig-Holstein will phase out all Microsoft software from government workplaces. The goal is to fully transition from Microsoft programs to Linux and open-source programs within the next three months.
The decision will affect nearly every civil servant, police officer, and judge, about 30,000 employees. Eventually, the rest of the civil service employees, primarily school teachers, will make the open-source shift. The radical change is being hailed as a major step toward "digital sovereignty" and a signal of growing European resistance to reliance on US tech giants. The move came soon after Danish officials had said they'd be leaving Microsoft behind.