Again? I love Germany, but I honestly can't tell whether this is an old news brought back to life, or whether it's a new story at a glance. Deja vu anyone?
So Munich goes open source -> Hamburg gets inspired
and BAM - 14 years later it follows suit.
Projected costs for the switch back: 86.5 million Euro within the first six years.
A study by the city revealed that LiMux saved the city 10 million Euro over its lifetime.
It's true that entering the Linux world is a bit like entering a shoe shop: why can't they just make two versions, home and professional? ;)
the 'problem' is that there are a dozen shoe factories, sorry, linux distributors, each with their own idea of what is home and professional.
i'd like the summer outdoor casual all natural materials pair please.
Now Hamburg, where the Green party also won big, wants to change as well. Hamburg is even more significant since Hamburg not only is Germany's second largest city (Berlin first, Munich third) but also a state, which means it has more tasks than a "pure" municipal administration like Munich, while Munich administration sees pride in being "largest municipal administration" in Germany.
munic can not decide to put linux into its schools, because as a decision that would have to happen at the state level, that is bavaria.
but hamburg can. so if the hamburg transition is successful, that may translate into more Free Software in schools, which will be a model for the other german states.