France : Embracing Linux

[mediator]

French National Assembly moves to Linux

France's National Assembly is staging a revolution of its own: it's moving from Windows to open source. When the Assembly meets next in June 2007, its members will be working on 1,154 new computers running Ubuntu Linux.

According to a report by ZDNet France, two companies will be providing the Ubuntu computers: Linagora and Unilog. Mandriva, the well-known France-based Linux distributor, was also in the running. In the end, though, the job was awarded to Lingora, a French system integrator that specializes in open-source software; and Unilog, the French division of international computer consultancy and systems integrator LogicaCMG.

Unilog has long been involved in Linux desktop efforts. The company was closely involved in the German government's decision to switch its Munich office over to Linux.

This isn't just about operating systems. The members of the Assembly and their aides will also be using open-source software for the majority of their work. Among these programs are OpenOffice, Firefox, and Thunderbird.

Richard Cazenave and Bernard Carayon, two members of the French assembly who favor the change, say that France is making this move because it will mean reduced cost and the added value to French and European users. In countries outside the U.S., Microsoft products are being increasingly met by resistance. As CNET columnist Charles Cooper once remarked, foreign governments often view moving away from America's Microsoft as being in their country's best interest.

Source

Novell lands major Linux desktop contract in France

At the Paris Solutions Linux show on Jan. 30, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Europe's second-largest automobile manufacturer, and Novell announced the signing of a multiyear contract for the deployment of up to 20,000 Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop installations plus 2,500 copies of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.

Unlike recent Novell Linux deals that were released with a great deal of fanfare, such as Novell's recent sale, via Microsoft, to Wal-Mart, this deal appears to have been made solely on the Linux desktop's own merits. In the Wal-Mart deal, as ace Microsoft blogger Mary Jo Foley noted, getting SUSE Linux into Wal-Mart had more to do with Microsoft COO Kevin Turner having been Wal-Mart's former CIO, than with SUSE's virtues.

This major SUSE deal with PSA Peugeot Citroen is another matter. "We found SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop to be well supported and extremely user friendly," an IT representative for PSA Peugeot Citroen stated. "Novell's commitment to open source and close collaboration with leading hardware and application vendors to ensure the support of our IT requirements were key factors in our choice.

That said, the Microsoft/Novell partnership appears to have played a roll in this deal as well. The Citroen representative went on to say, "In addition, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop integrates seamlessly in our Windows-based infrastructure."

Ron Hovsepian, Novell's president and CEO, said, "PSA Peugeot Citroen has discovered the value a market-ready Linux platform can bring to their business, and SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop is the market's only enterprise-class Linux desktop ready for routine business use. We are pleased to provide a compelling alternative to PSA Peugeot Citroen's current proprietary desktop platform and help the organization reduce costs while advancing its next-generation IT architecture."

According to Novell, SLED delivers ease of use at lower hardware cost and many innovative features including three-dimensional desktop graphics, integrated search and a fully compatible office productivity suite through the Novell edition of OpenOffice.org 2, all at a small fraction of the price of the proprietary operating system and office suite alternatives.

At Novell's recently launched Vista/Linux comparison site, SLED costs only $50 compared to Vista Business's $299. Adding in Microsoft Office Professional 2007 for Windows Vista dumps another $499 on the Microsoft bill. When it comes to price, SLED for business appears to beat the tar out of Vista Business.

Novell advertises SLED as being suited for complete desktop replacements, retail point of service solutions, thin-client deployments, and engineering workstations. Many reviewers, and now Citroen, agree.

Source

[Garbage]

another victory for Lin

[praka123]

Linux Rocking all the way!

[vish786]

Originally Posted by praka123

Linux Rocking all the way!

certainly it is, no doubt in that.

[Pathik]

Linux is changing the world..

[infra_red_dude]

Originally Posted by pathiks

Linux is changing the world..

no.. no... the world is changing to linux! hehe....

[vaithy]

Hi,
But I wholly disagree.. that the world is movig to Linux on its own.. It is because of the untiring efforts of Microsoft CEO, and their get the facts FUD,bribery to bloggers, blackmailing tactics,DRM...etc., the people has no alternative, but run away from their Vista bulldozer.. so Linux is only temporary alternative.. it is the right time for the Linux developers to pool their efforts to prepare ,in single direction of standardisation , single OS, so , too many distro don't spoil the party..

with regards,
Vaithy

[Cool G5]

Great.Linux & Open source deserve a place in wonders of software.Thumbs up.

[praka123]

a standardization in Linux Env is at present impossible variable options,variable developments,no central bug reporting facility-like a gnome or kde bug is noted by many distros,but that does not benefit the whole community!...goes on.Now the BIG question is which DE be made default-Gnome or kde.pure FOSS ppl & others judge Gnome while windowish gui seekers may be with Kde..the wars too going on of courz the choice for no X or other wm's remains.but to woe a novice user Gnome or Kde-thats the point.

edit:btwn sun too is there for the share with opensolaris & project Indiana.check tech news section.sun want to grab some share from Linux too .even i read opensolaris may be GPL3ed later.

[Gigacore]

NO doubt, recently my friend dumped vista and now he is using Ubuntu 7.04