LinuxTag -LinuxDay starts today!

[viking60]

The most important Linux event in Europe starts today in Berlin. Germany has probably the highest acceptance of Linux in Europe and also the most critical attitude towards Microsoft and Google. Thus the city of Munich is rolling out their LiMux project and will have 12000 officials working on Linux by 2013- Today there are 5000 so they are well on their way. Despite all propaganda from MS this is profitable and saves the tax payers of Munich a load of money. I sure wish our politicians would stop dining and "charitying" with Bill Gates and start thinking here too. Anyway in Munich ALL computers have an Open Office solution - all of them! That alone saves a load of money . And they are presenting their stuff on the Linux Tag. Once they have trained the users and gained acceptance the real money saving will kick in. The event has some scale too: 77 free Projects, 43 Commercial attendants (the well known open source advocate; Microsoft is amongst them- Oracle too), hundreds of speakers national and internationals. - More than 10.000 visitors are expected. And it spans from gaming to Moon landing projects. This event is so Important that even Microsoft and Oracle cannot afford to stay away. Mageia and Mandriva will be represented by the German community - not the company. Gentoo is there, Gnome is there, Drupal and Google are there - in short everybody is there. Linux is Buzzing in Europe! And of course they have their own TV-Channel http://www.linuxtag.org/2011/

[rolf]

I remember, not in a detailed fashion but generally, a bit of a hullabaloo a few years ago, when Berlin or some governmental entity in Germany was planning to drop the expensive Microsoft contract in favor of Linux.
That had Ballmer, himself, bustling over to the continent, offering some sweeter incentives to stay with the Borg.

[viking60]

Yes Ballmer made Munich a battle field, went over there and got kicked out. Since then Microsoft has nothing positive to say about Munich. Worried that a defeat in Munich could lead to a string of German city governments -- both big and small -- opting for Linux, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer made a personal visit to Munich Mayor Christian Ude in March. And the deal offered was the classic one: Under the new offer, Microsoft is prepared to sell fewer licenses to cover all computers in the city's entire network and if it turns out that more licenses are required in the end, we won't charge for these There can be no doubt about it: If you go for Linux you will get cheap to free Windows!!! This strengthens the myth that Open source is more expensive than Microsoft. And there will always be a local documentation to back it. Heavily marketed by Microsoft of course. So if you really like Windows -go for Linux

Every business in Munich that can spell Windows will get awards and get hyped as superduper high tech geniouses: http://www.bechtle.com/bechtle-von-micr ... ichnet-en/ By Balmer himself - what an honor. And after that sales video who can resist Make no mistake; this hurts for Microsoft. Munich is rated one of the top 10 tech cities of the world: Almost 65% of Germany’s population uses broadband — the largest percentage in Europe. And Munich is considered the country’s high-tech center. But in 2003, the city of Munich suggested something that spurred Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to get on a plane to Munich. What? The city wanted to migrate their 14,000 computers from Microsoft to Linux, and Steve’s pleas didn’t change a thing; they flipped in 2006, making Munich one of the top tech cities in the world. Other bold elements of the city’s tech culture include airport wireless connections that let you use your own ISP and in-flight broadband services for long-haul flights from Munich. The most impressive thing about this is that Munich has resisted all the pressure and heavy lobbying that Microsoft is capable of. This has been enough to make most governments cave in - (including the Norwegian one). Offering a well paid job to the Mair of Munich after he is not elected anymore - must have failed. In Norway we have ministers who come from Microsoft - (I presume they have ambitions to go back, after I and my friends have kicked them out of office.) Microsoft gets a market from offering their products for free to the cities and governments and know that the employees need windows at home too - and they do not get it for free. Neither do the children that have Windows for free in school and must pay full student price at home. Especially in Africa and poor countries that is a dirty deal. Intelligent people these Germans - especially those in Munich

PS that video is so great I will spread it all over the net! At the risk of promoting Windows - You just have to acknowledge brilliance when you see it presented like that. I presume they use Linux in Nebraska so there Windows will be for free!

[linuxlover420]

wow wish I was there that would be great

[viking60]

Yeah that would have been great.
Just to compensate for the somewhat malicious video rolf presented of Steve Ballmer above I think it is only appropriate to show that he has a serious side too - just to keep it balanced:

[linuxlover420]

@viking60 yes i agree

[rolf]

wobo pointed to some LinuxTag photos on the Mageia blog: http://blog.mageia.org/en/2011/05/16/ma ... mment-1462

[viking60]

Yes I have seen them. They have them every year. It did not look crowded but all the pics are not published yet I guess,