German state moving 30,000 PCs to LibreOffice
Following a successful pilot project, the northern German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein has decided to move from Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office to Linux and LibreOffice (and other free and open source software) on the 30,000 PCs used in the local government. As reported on the homepage of the Minister-President...
The term digital sovereignty is very important here. If a public administration uses proprietary, closed software that can’t be studied or modified, it is very difficult to know what happens to users’ data...
Update
GNU/Linux also:
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German state decides to move away from Microsoft to Linux and LibreOffice
In a significant shift towards open-source software, the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein has announced its decision to move 30,000 government computers away from Microsoft Windows and Office 365 to using Linux and LibreOffice (as well as other open-source software). This follows a successful pilot project in the region and follows the recent announcement that the European Commission's use of Microsoft 365 breaches data protection law.
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German state ditches Windows, Microsoft Office for Linux and LibreOffice
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.
The announcement (in German) was made yesterday by the state's Minister-President Daniel Gunther, who has served in that position since 2017. According to a translated version of the announcement, independence was a key motivation for switching to open source software.
"Independent, sustainable, secure: Schleswig-Holstein will be a digital pioneer region and the first state to introduce a digitally sovereign IT workplace in its state administration," said Gunther. "[T]he government has given the starting signal for the first step towards complete digital sovereignty for the country, with further steps to follow."
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German state ditches Microsoft for Linux and LibreOffice
Thanks to hardware vendors working hand-in-glove with Microsoft, many people never realize there are alternatives to Windows and Office.
But that's not the case in the European Union (EU) and China, where computer users know all about Microsoft's dominance on the desktop -- and many don't like it. So, when Dirk Schrödter, digitalization minister for the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, announced the state government would switch from proprietary software "towards free, open-source systems and digitally sovereign IT workplaces for the state administration's approximately 30,000 employees," there was cause for rejoicing among Linux desktop fans.
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German State Migrating 30,000 Computers to Linux and LibreOffice
According to The Document Foundation, the organization behind LibreOffice, Schleswig-Holstein made the decision following a successful pilot program aimed at addressing issues with using commercial software. In particular, the state administration was concerned about digital sovereignty, as highlighted by the Minister-President’s website: [...]
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German State Moving Tens of Thousands of PCs To Linux and LibreOffice
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German state of Schleswig-Holstein abandons Microsoft, embraces Open-Source with Linux and LibreOffice
German state Schleswig-Holstein has announced its plans to move away from properitory software including Microsoft’s Windows, Office, and others. Generally, government organizations move to open source software to avoid huge licensing fees. But in this case, the state is concerned about data security.
“"As a country, we have a great responsibility towards our citizens and companies to ensure that their data is in safe hands with us, and we must ensure that we are in control of the IT solutions we use at all times and that we as a state can act independently. Ensuring digital sovereignty is at least as important as energy sovereignty",” says Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister of Digitalization, Dirk Schrödter.
This German state also mentioned that by utilizing open-source software, organizations gain the benefits of transparent code – leading to greater IT security, financial efficiency, rigorous data protection, and adaptability across systems.
Gigazine:
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German government switches 30,000 PCs to Linux and migrates from Microsoft Office to open source LibreOffice
Minister Schroeder pointed out, 'We as a government cannot control the operational processes and data of proprietary solutions. As a country, we have a great responsibility to ensure that our citizens' data is kept safe. We must always control the solutions we use and be able to act independently as a nation. Ensuring digital sovereignty is at least as important as ensuring energy sovereignty.' With the aim of positioning Schleswig-Holstein as a pioneer in the digital field, he made it clear that he would restructure the system so that it could be managed by the government, not by a single company.
Ars Technica:
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German state gov. ditching Windows for Linux, 30K workers migrating
Schleswig-Holstein, one of Germany’s 16 states, on Wednesday confirmed plans to move tens of thousands of systems from Microsoft Windows to Linux. The announcement follows previously established plans to migrate the state government off Microsoft Office in favor of open source LibreOffice.
More:
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German State Abandons Abusive Monopolist Microsoft for GNU/Linux and LibreOffice
The German state, Schleswig-Holstein, has decided to move away from proprietary software, such as backdoored Windows and Office, to open-source alternatives , including GNU/Linux and LibreOffice . The move is motivated by the need to "ensure that their data is kept safe with us, and we must ensure that we are always in control of the IT solutions we use and that we can act independently as a state," as stated by Dirk Schr¶dter, the digitalization minister for Schleswig-Holstein.
Some humour:
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Linux seeks lebensraum in Voleland for Germany
Following a successful pilot project, the northern German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein has decided to ditch Volish software a.nd install Linux and LibreOffice (and other free and open-source software) on the whopping 30,000 PCs used in local government.
According to Ministerpräsident Daniel Günther, the state wants to be independent, sustainable, and secure.
“Schleswig-Holstein is set to be a digital pioneer region and the first German state to introduce a digitally sovereign IT workplace in its administration. With a cabinet decision to introduce the open-source software LibreOffice as the standard office solution across the board, the government has given the green light for the first step towards complete digital sovereignty in the state, with more steps to follow," he said.
Also here:
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Windows and Microsoft Office are being replaced with Linux and LibreOffice in this German state
What just happened? It's not just China that is replacing Windows on government PCs. Germany's most northern state, Schleswig-Holstein, has begun moving from the popular OS to Linux while also switching from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice. The state's Minister-President Daniel Gunther said the move from proprietary to open-source software was being made to ensure independence, sustainability, and security.
"In addition to improved IT security, cost-effectiveness, and data protection, the use of open-source software also enables seamless collaboration between different systems," officials said. "Alongside open-source software development, the goal is to release future development results of the country under free licenses."
The 30,000 employees of Schleswig-Holstein's local government will be moving to Linux and LibreOffice as the state pushes for what it calls "digital sovereignty," a reference to non-EU companies not gathering troves of user data so European firms can compete with these foreign rivals.
iTWire:
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German state to move 30,000 PCs from Windows/Office to Linux/LibreOffice
The decision by the northern federal state was taken after a successful pilot, Mike Saunders of the Document Foundation wrote.
This is not the first time that a German city or state has opted to move from proprietary software to free and open-source alternatives. In 2001, the city of Munich began a move from Windows to its own customised Linux distribution known as LiMux.
The move was expected to take 12 years and by 2013 about 15,000 of the city's 18,000 desktops were running LiMux. But in February 2017, the city voted to move back to Windows, with plan to be effected by 2020 if it was given the go-ahead.
{loadposition sam08}The back-and-forth was reportedly not due to technical reasons, but more driven by politics. This backflip began after Munich's new mayor, Dieter Reiter of the Social Democratic Party, took office in 2015, he,has said publicly that he is a fan of Microsoft.
Much later:
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German government switches 30 thousand PCs to Linux and LibreOffice
According to The Document Foundation blog, the government of Schleswig-Holstein, a state in northern Germany, has decided to switch 30,000 computers used in local government from Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office to Linux and LibreOffice.
Might be automatic translation.
Also:
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German state Schleswig-Holstein ditches Windows for Linux
Schleswig-Holstein, one of Germany's 16 states, has announced plans to transition its vast governmental infrastructure from Microsoft Windows to Linux.
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«Digital sovereignty». German authorities transferred 30 thousand civil servants to Linux
Authorities in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein have switched 30,000 civil servants from Microsoft Windows to Linux.
About reported publication ArsTechnika.
It is noted that the government has finally completed the pilot launch of LibreOffice and is now officially transferring all civil servants to the new operating system and new software.
The plans to switch to Linux were announced in 2021. At the time, local authorities said they would test LibreOffice for two years.
Very late:
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Open source versus Microsoft: The new rebellion begins
Schleswig-Holstein says the major drivers this time are data protection, privacy, and security. The argument is that it's irresponsible to hand all those to an outside agency, let alone one without state oversight, albeit subject to the Digital Services and Digital Markets Act. The state must protect its people. Today, that means their data. The term is Digital Sovereignty. If you think that sounds like a political decision, boy are you ever right.