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French city of Lyon ditching Microsoft for FOSS
The French city of Lyon has decided to ditch Microsoft’s Office suite and plans to adopt Linux and PostgreSQL.
Update
Also in Neowin:
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City in France is latest to ditch backdoored Windows and Office in favor of GNU/Linux and FOSS alternatives
The third-largest city in France has decided to ditch Microsoft's software offerings in favor of open-source alternatives like Linux.
SJVN:
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This city is dumping Microsoft Office and Windows for OnlyOffice and Linux - here's why
Is it something in the water? First, it was Denmark bidding Microsoft adieu. Then it was the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Now it's Lyon, France's third-largest city and a leading economic hub, sweeping Microsoft Windows and Office suite away to replace them with Linux, OnlyOffice, NextCloud, and PostgreSQL.
So, why is Lyon making this move? Well, it's not due to something in the water. Like the other European entities, Lyon's move is part of a broader strategy to achieve digital sovereignty and reduce dependence on Microsoft software. The simple truth is that many European-based governments no longer trust their data or software to American-based companies under President Donald Trump.
FOSS Force:
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Lyon, France Adopts OnlyOffice: From Russia With Love - FOSS Force
When Lyon, France announced about a month back that it’s going to be ditching US software in favor of software developed a little closer to home, I wasn’t surprised. What did have me scratching my head was the city’s choice of OnlyOffice as its Microsoft Office replacement. Not only is this bucking a trend, it’s also a questionable choice on other levels as well.
From a European perspective, the reasons for dumping Microsoft–along with the likes of Oracle, AWS, and Google–are clear. Local data regulations–including the GDPR and others–along with regulations decreeing that data collected in an EU country stay in that country, protect privacy, and are taken seriously. Especially now that data collected and stored in the EU is subject to US government subpoena.
Lyon isn’t the only government in the EU showing US software makers the door. Denmark, the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, and a growing list of governments and public agencies are moving away from US software to embrace open-source solutions. Generally, Microsoft Office is the first to get dumped, with LibreOffice, often paired with Collabora for web-based collaboration, being the replacement.
It's FOSS News:
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French City of Lyon Kicks Out Microsoft
European countries have been growing increasingly wary of relying on Microsoft for critical government and public sector services. Concerns about data privacy, digital sovereignty, and potential governmental surveillance have led many to question the viability of depending on an American tech giant for sensitive infrastructure.
Many worry that dependence on Microsoft could leave them vulnerable to sudden service interruptions or the risk of sensitive data being accessed without consent.
This growing unease has already led Denmark to begin transitioning from Office 365 to LibreOffice, while the German state of Schleswig-Holstein recently abandoned Microsoft Teams and started the shift from Windows to Linux.