A while ago, we learned that Denmark is abandoning Windows and Microsoft's Office suite to use Linux and LibreOffice. Now, the French city of Lyon decided to follow this same direction.
The local government of Lyon has decided to abandon Windows, Microsoft Office applications and Microsoft SQL and adopt alternative solutions such as Linux, OnlyOffice and PostgreSQL.
Interestingly, the authorities chose OnlyOffice, a software available under the GNU Affero General Public License, instead of the more popular alternative, LibreOffice.
In a similar vein, it will also use a suite called “Territoire Numerique Ouvert” (Open Digital Territory) for electronic communication and other tasks related to office automation. A French organization that promotes industrial development in local municipalities has also provided a €2 million grant to strengthen the suite and launch it in data centers. According to reports, thousands of people are already using Territoire Numerique Ouvert.
Lyon is the third largest city in France, with 10.000 government employees serving over a million people. The sudden shift of thousands of corporate clients to Linux and similar free and open source software (FOSS) is certainly not good news for Microsoft, which has probably already been hit by the shock of Denmark.
Like Denmark, Lyon's main rationale behind this move is to reduce its reliance on software originating from the United States. Another reason is also the desire to extend the lifespan of the hardware it uses, thereby reducing the environmental impact of e-waste.
Although the press releases will range from very select to rare, I said I'd pass...because sometimes the editors hide.
