Well, I would understand UK government is adopting Linux but Russian ?!! You can buy in Russia full blown Win XP or Win Server 2003 CDs for less then a buck. The same thing with M$ Office 2K/XP. These are all pirated copies but who cares? I remember when in one of the former USSR's Central Asian republic the whole Department of Energy was using a single pirated version of M$ Office 97 for all their documentation stuff, alongside with a single pirated version of Win NT on all their 200+ computers. The same approach was taken in other government departments and services. The same things they did in universities, schools and private firms. There was no urgent need to switch to Linux on order to cut license costs. Just my $0.02 Alex On Wednesday 08 October 2003 05:54 pm, you wrote:
Governments continue move to open source
UK and Russian governments adopting Linux
The United Kingdom and Russia this week become the latest governments to embrace Linux and open standards, joining more than 20 U.S. states and 175 governments around the world.
In two separate deals illustrating the unprecedented adoption of Linux by governments, IBM has announced that it is working with the UK and Russia on Linux projects that will further establish Linux in the public sector.
First, the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) in the United Kingdom formerly a Windows advocate for years has announced that federal, state and local government agencies can make the move to Linux. The OGC said agencies can adopt an open computing model in order to cut costs and increase efficiencies instead of being locked into a single, proprietary "monoculture" environment.
IBM working with UK government on Linux projects IBM is working closely with the UK government on nine projects to help develop innovative IT solutions that include key IBM hardware, software and services solutions running on Linux.
In a separate announcement IBM said it is working with the Russian government to establish a Linux Competency Center in Moscow. The new center sponsored by IBM, the Russian government and Russian universities will provide a hands-on environment to drive application and solution development, offer support, consulting, education and provide Linux product and solution certification.
IBM resources available in the Moscow Linux Center of Competency will include a variety of IBM TotalStorage products running Linux; including eServer xSeries systems, high-powered Linux clusters, as well as IBM software including WebSphere, DB2, Lotus, Tivoli and Rational offerings that deliver integration, database, collaboration and security capabilities. IBM will also assign skilled Linux specialists to the center, as well as, link the Moscow center with Linux Competency Centers around the world.
Latest in a long line of government decisions The moves by the UK and Russian governments are the latest in a long line of decisions by agencies around the world that are looking to Linux, open standards to help cut costs and increase reliability across diverse IT environments.
Just recently, Massachusetts announced it would lead with open source and open standards based software in procurement decisions. Other states are incorporating Linux into their infrastructure in a variety of ways. In June the German Federal Ministry of the Interior announced that it is turning to IBM to facilitate the country's standardization on Linux. The German government has signed a contract with IBM to move its federal, state, and local agencies to Linux. Under the strategic agreement, IBM will help the government develop innovative IT solutions, including key IBM hardware, software and services solutions.
Worldwide, more than 175 governments worldwide are now engaged in Linux projects because it offers advantages over proprietary software, including, reduced cost of infrastructure, improved control over applications and data and improved security and access.
-- 08 October, 2003
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