ubuntu – hoping for redemption

: Image via Wikipedia

Does the thought of upgrading to Windows Vista or Windows Seven make you cringe?

Does dishing out $200 for upgraded Microsoft Office software frutrate you, especially during tough economic times?

If so, maybe you could learn a thing or two from the French… yes, the French.

A fascinating article on ArsTechnica describes how the French government saved millions of Euros when Windows Vista launched. Instead of “upgrading” (if you can call switching from XP to Vista an upgrade!) to Vista, the French goverment decided to migrate to completely free (read: it doesn’t cost anything), open source software.

Since 2004, they have saved at least 50 million Euros in licensing and maintenance costs by switching to open source software.

It began by replacing Microsoft Office with Open Office and Microsoft Outlook and IE with Firefox and Thunderbird.

The natural next step was to replace Windows, which they have done using Ubuntu and Mandriva. They hope to be Windows-free by 2015.

The biggest challenge? The icons look different, and there aren’t as many games.

So, the next time you go to Best Buy, and they push Microsoft Office on you (and they will), remember your friends the French and consider making the switch yourself!

French police: we saved millions of euros by adopting Ubuntu – Ars Technica.