LiMux Project Has Saved Munich €10m So Far 219
Mojo66 writes "After project savings had been estimated to amount to at least €4 million in March, more precise figures are now in: Over €10 million (approximately £8 million or $12.8 million) has been saved by the city of Munich, thanks to its development and use of the city's own Linux platform. The calculation compares the current overall cost of the LiMux migration with that of two technologically equivalent Windows scenarios: Windows with Microsoft Office and Windows with OpenOffice. Reportedly, savings amount to over €10 million. The study is based on around 11,000 migrated workplaces within Munich's city administration as well as 15,000 desktops that are equipped with an open source office suite. The comparison with Windows assumes that Windows systems must be on the same technological level; this would, for example, mean that they would have been upgraded to Windows 7 at the end of 2011. Overall, the project says that Windows and Microsoft Office would have cost just over €34 million, while Windows with Open Office would have cost about €30 million. The LiMux scenario, on the other hand, has reportedly cost less than €23 million. A detailed report (in German) is available."
Hard to ask this... (Score:2, Interesting)
...without sounding like a shill, but I'm really curious if the end result works just as well. If all your people are are trained on Windows and Office, switching to Linux and OpenOffice will have an associated cost in terms of retraining and reduced productivity while people become proficient in the new software, right? I don't read German, so I have no idea if those numbers are included in the final cost. And I think it's great that they are showing that home grown Linux can be cheaper (for their needs). I'm just wondering what the *real* cost is in the short term.
Stupid to ask it. (Score:5, Interesting)
Since you can't have been Proficient in Windows 7 until it was released in 2011, staying on Windows would have cost you in terms of retraining and reduced productivity while people become proficient in the new software, right?
And yes the figures are included in the costs.
The REAL cost in the short term is -10mil. In the long term: priceless.
Libreoffice is the challenger (Score:5, Interesting)
Warren Buffett was Right (Score:5, Interesting)
He couldn't understand the long term viability of a software only business!
Re:What does it include? (Score:5, Interesting)
When I introduced my mother to Linux she was surprised how easy it was as she had heard all the scare mongering. You turn it on and get a desktop, like with Windows. You have a menu like with Windows. You click on items and the programmes start, like with Windows. Do I need to go on or do you all get the idea that she thought it was just like Windows except the really big bad difference... click once instead of twice, which she really liked. I went away and a couple of years later she was using Gimp which I had not shown her. She said she preferred Photoshop on the Mac which they had at art school. So eventually she bought a Mac and learnt another system. If a 70 year old great-granny can get through all that and not see what the fuss is about, I think it is time we starting sacking people who cannot.
The training costs (Score:4, Interesting)
Looking at the report, the savings come from not having to buy software licenses (~ €6 million) and hardware upgrades (~ €4 million). They have an additional €16 million in the budget with is applied equally to the all Microsoft, LibreOffice on Microsoft and LiMux cases. That money goes to support, customization, trainings and that kind of thing. The allocated budget for each item is exactly the same in all cases.
I think there's an interesting message there: "staying with Microsoft saves you training money" is simply a myth.
Re:Stupid to ask this (Score:4, Interesting)
I have personally found many issues with working on 2003 and 2010. Specifically Accses. 2010 wants to convert and save as the 2010 format which makes 2003 clients unable to see those changesm, basically requiring 2 levels of databases or matching office versions. I have actually been converting some of our business databases to PHP / SQL to avoid the M$ update hell.
Re:hope it's true (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Hard to ask this... (Score:3, Interesting)
> until you get to things like adding printers
Interesting. I never thought that the CUPS admin interface was very daunting. All very "in the browser" GUI-ish.
Getting networked scanning working under Linux (saned) isn't for the command-line challenged. But considering that Microsoft doesn't even provide a competing standard for networked scanners, the situation under Windows cannot be any better.
Re:Hard to ask this... (Score:2, Interesting)
There have been a few interviews with the limux people, and the scope of what they're doing is a little more than just stick linux+openoffice on the desktop and be done. It includes user training too, among such things as close liason with the users and giving them the tools they need, getting-toes-wet opportunities and smooth changeovers. I suspect we haven't seen the end of the savings yet.
Disclaimer: Not affiliated. Tried to but didn't get hired, which is a bit of a pity.
Linux Can't Bribe (Score:2, Interesting)
..and of course It Can't Kick Back. The severest deficiency of all in the world of business and government.
Re:Hard to ask this... (Score:4, Interesting)
Would you care to share with us which 20,000 seat Norwegian Openoffice deployment that was? I hear the Norwegian national broadcasting orporation NRK is moving to Openoffice [linux-magazine.com].