Munich re-thinks Linux
p2pnet.net News:- It appears Munich’s on-off affair with Linux is on again, patent issues notwithstanding.
Stadt München setzt Linux-Migration fort, says Heiss online here.
"Mayor [Christian] Ude, who said he’s been thinking it over for a few days, says there will be a legal study completed by Autumn concerning the migration, and if it looks safe, they will go forward and meanwhile the bidding begins, says a report in Groklaw here, going on, "Munich, he said, wants to stay with its commitment to Linux.
"He also announced that the city is going to request a legal study on the question of what consequences the EU-directive on the patentability of "computer-implemented inventions" will have in the current version of the Council of Ministers’s proposed law.And this, says Groklaw here, mayor has held a press conference, in which he said that the bidding process for the switch from Windows to Linux will go forward as originally planned, despite patent issues."
Green Party Alderman Jens Muehlhaus wanted Munich to examine the kind of effect software patents legislation under consideration in the European Union might have. Consequently, the move from Microsoft to Linux, scheduled to have started last month, came to a halt.
Sadly, we don’t have any German speakers instantly available. So we plugged the Heiss page into Google’s translation software (pretty amazing, when you think about it : ) and got this:
Despite legal ambiguity and continuous fears of a patent war approximately around open SOURCE of Munich wants to start mayor Christian Ude the bidding procedure for the re-equipment of the Desktops in the city administration on free software. This announced the SPD politician on today’s Wednesday on a press conference in the city hall. The Prozedere is brought to the active migration phase of the LiMux project after a "pause for thought by few days" in course, gave to Ude with well one week delay green light for the introduction . An appraisal and the participant competition should be final up to the autumn. If a conversion to Linux appears then harmless, can be begun immediately with the Bieterverfahren. In any case one however wants to remain the city with its confession to Linux: "it remains with the fact that the city Munich decided for open SOURCE."
Ude announced that the city will give a legal opinion for clarifying to the question in order, which effects the disputed European Union guideline to the patenting barness of "computer-implemented inventions" in its present version of the Council of Ministers have could. Of the Federal Government Ude information required, why she had votiert in Brussels at all for a change before good of the version of the directive which was called by the European parliament. If one wants to promote to Berlin of far open SOURCE projects, how from the Federal Department of Justice week passed stresses again , one must create right security for the public and private expenditures also. Furthermore Ude requested other cities, municipalities and authorities, which work on Linux migrations, to the shoulder conclusion with Munich — the argumentation residents of Munich of the city head and the demands on the Federal Government submitted the city equivalent again in writing therefore .
With the temporary stop of the LiMux advertisement the residents of Munich city administration at the beginning of of August had fed the continuous debate over software patents and the lining up Brussels legislation on an expanded summer high floated — in addition, doubts about the feasibility of the Linux re-equipment. Also the camp of the proponents of free software was in disagreement itself in the estimate of the concrete danger for the residents of Munich of migration plans. In a pointed reaction to the interruption of the project the Free warned software Foundation Europe ( FSFE ) and the LinuxTag e.V. Beginning of the week again together before the abuse of software patents "for psychological war guidance" in the economy.
"at present mechanisms from the cold war are adapted for the keeping by interests of enterprise", echauffierte themselves olive Zendel, chairman of the LinuxTags. The principle of the atomic deterrence is replaced by armament by Patentportfolios, while other companies nonaggression treaties would lock by a Kreuzlizenzierung of the own patents. Wrong-basic are thereby "programmers, small and medium-size enterprises and thus the economic situation Europe." Disturbingly to it above all, supplemented FSFE president is George Greve that do not even need to be prozessiert: "a confused rumor is completely sufficient, in order to bring a complex and complex project for days from the trace. It would be interesting to compute the economical damage."
The residents of Munich city administration does not see so far under any circumstances eliminated the fears of the open SOURCE scene despite the appeasement attempts from the Ministry of Justice. It has a number of open questions listed, approximately after long-term investment security for LiMux estimated approximately 30 million euro, after appearing a patent flood in the software range, itself the complaint waves and its consequences for the innovation strength of the economy, resulting in from it. With their "residents of Munich line", thus the demand for right security and clear formulations in the Brussels guideline, the city turns therefore now to the European Union parliament, the Federal Government, the Bundestag as well as other municipalities, which could be affected by a law change likewise negatively.
Considering past statements requires meanwhile also the LinuxVerband ( LIVE ) of the Ministry of Justice. In a letter member of the board Werner Riek writes that already today "a set of patented algorithms for example within the ranges cryptography, Multimedia and data formats in suitor software cannot be used — with negative consequences for security, interoperability and competition" – further conflicts by infringement of a patent procedures would appear. The patent protection for technical inventions is not to be questioned, "also not, if in this connection software is used." But by this connection and may "software" can become not patentable as epitome of organization and arithmetic rules for computers themselves. Infuriated Riek shows up besides, because "the interests of the middle class and the free software became" perfectly ignored "Community" at rounding table of the law department the software patenting.
