Munich Plans to Ditch Linux and Go Back to Windows
A major setback for the Linux desktop.
The city of Munich is working on a plan to ditch LiMux, a customized Linux distribution, and go back to Microsoft products, including Windows.
The city of Munich has been using LiMux and other vendor-neutral technologies for more than a decade now. The move posed a serious challenge to Microsoft’s dominance in the market. The success of LiMux would have encouraged other cities and regional governments to move away from Microsoft’s proprietary technologies in favor of open source technologies.
Microsoft increased its lobbying efforts in Munich, which didn’t see success under the previous administration. Microsoft’s efforts started to pay off with the election of Microsoft-friendly Dieter Reiter as the mayor of the city, when the plans to ditch Linux and go back to Microsoft products returned to the table. In 2016, Microsoft opened a new headquarters in Munich to assist the new government in going back to the company’s products.
Last year, the city of Munich conducted a study through a Microsoft partner, Accenture, which concluded that many departments are facing problems with Linux and open source technologies. In the month of February 2017, the city council came up with a plan to move to Windows by 2020.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Rhino Linux Announces Latest "Quick Update"
If you prefer your Linux distribution to be of the rolling type, Rhino Linux delivers a beautiful and reliable experience.
-
Plasma Desktop Will Soon Ask for Donations
The next iteration of Plasma has reached the soft feature freeze for the 6.2 version and includes a feature that could be divisive.
-
Linux Market Share Hits New High
For the first time, the Linux market share has reached a new high for desktops, and the trend looks like it will continue.
-
LibreOffice 24.8 Delivers New Features
LibreOffice is often considered the de facto standard office suite for the Linux operating system.
-
Deepin 23 Offers Wayland Support and New AI Tool
Deepin has been considered one of the most beautiful desktop operating systems for a long time and the arrival of version 23 has bolstered that reputation.
-
CachyOS Adds Support for System76's COSMIC Desktop
The August 2024 release of CachyOS includes support for the COSMIC desktop as well as some important bits for video.
-
Linux Foundation Adopts OMI to Foster Ethical LLMs
The Open Model Initiative hopes to create community LLMs that rival proprietary models but avoid restrictive licensing that limits usage.
-
Ubuntu 24.10 to Include the Latest Linux Kernel
Ubuntu users have grown accustomed to their favorite distribution shipping with a kernel that's not quite as up-to-date as other distros but that changes with 24.10.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1.4 Release Includes Improvements and Bug Fixes
The latest release from the KDE team improves the KWin window and composite managers and plenty of fixes.
-
Manjaro Team Tests Immutable Version of its Arch-Based Distribution
If you're a fan of immutable operating systems, you'll be thrilled to know that the Manjaro team is working on an immutable spin that is now available for testing.