Munich stops Linux migration
p2pnet.net News:- Munich’s recent decision to dump Windows for Linux appears to be on hold.
The migration was to have started last week and, “In addition to replacing the core Windows OS with Linux, the city will also implement several other open-source programs for applications such as Web browsing, office productivity, and personal information managemer (PIM),” said Paul Thurrott on WinInf here.
But Green Party Alderman Jens Muehlhaus wants Munich to examine the impact software patents legislation under consideration in the European Union might have, says eWeek here, going on:
“Munich’s actions are being closely watched as a bellwether for the fortunes of Linux in the public sector, in Europe and elsewhere. Following the city’s initial strategic decision to migrate to Linux, a year ago, the City of Paris ordered its own investigation into a switch to open source. The city of Bergen in Norway recently decided to consolidate older Windows and Unix servers on Novell Inc.’s SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8. Other recent wins for Linux include the French Ministry of Equipment and Allied Irish Banks.”
“In direct contravention of the recent vote by the European Parliament to curtail Software Patents, the Irish Presidency of the European Union has surreptitiously reinstated unlimited software patent language into the text of a statement to be adopted by the European Council of Ministers on Monday May, 17th, without further debate!” – says Robin Good, continuing:
“The new text, if adopted, will extend Software Patents to every piece of software, including computer programs, data structures, and process descriptions. This will directly harm most software firms and all Open Source projects unable to pay patent licensing tribute, and amounts to an appropriation of the public domain by proprietary interests. A direct beneficiary will be a new class of pure patent companies without any real business or contribution to employment, which will use the threat of litigation to extort payments. Of note is that a sponsor of the Irish Presidency is Microsoft, currently building a large patent portfolio. If the Software Patent text is adopted, Microsoft may use this patent portfolio against Linux and other Open Source projects.”
For more information, go here and here.
August 7th, 2004 at 5:05 am
I cannot believe the Europeans are being suckered by Irish idiocy on this. I cannot believe they will all be as fuxored as they are going to be SOON in the US.
Many companies are building “anti-competitive” patent repositories, that is to say, patenting software then never using it, only to stop anyone else from doing anything similar to them. Witness M$’s patent on the single/double/triple click. I mean, COME ON!!!!!!
It’s going to be a sad day for the developed world, if Euro’s go for patents. Then only the 3rd world and China will be able to go forward with innovation, such as linux and others. The hands will be tied in the US/Euro. And we’ll all be worse off for it.