Hamburg refused software of Microsoft for benefit of Open Source

At the beginning of June, 2020 the authorities of Hamburg were announced the decision to refuse use of the software of Microsoft for benefit of products with open source codes. Thus, one more German city made a choice for benefit of Open Source.

Plans for transfer of computers in public institutions of Hamburg on freely distributed software are stated in the 200-page coalition agreement between social democrats and Green Party. Their plan is expected five years.

In it specific products which can be involved instead of solutions of Microsoft are not specified. It is supposed that the Linux distribution kits will succeed operating systems of Windows, and instead of a set of programs for work with the documents Microsoft Office will OpenOffice is attracted, for example.

Hamburg refused software of Microsoft for benefit of Open Source

That in Hamburg wanted to pass to Open Source technologies, at first reported the Der Standard edition. According to its information, the solution is caused by the fact that the city wished to reduce dependence on  paid proprietary software and  to become "an example of digital sovereignty".

In a conversation with the ZDNet portal chairman of the Open Source Business Alliance organization (OSBA; promotes technologies with open source codes) Peter Ganten says that Hamburg fills up the list of the German regions which decided to migrate on the open source software. Earlier the same most was made or resolved to make the federal Lands of Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia and also the cities of Bremen, Dortmund and Munich (how there was a migration in Munich, it is written here).

The solution of Hamburg is especially remarkable the fact that the city was always strongly focused on Microsoft — Ganten said.

According to the head of department of Green Party on the area Hamburg Mitta Farid Mueller, in the future in city management systems it is going to use more software open source. In addition to use of already own products, the authorities want "write native code which will also be open", Mueller reported.

Farid Müller emphasized that the city authorities intend to gain a better understanding about the proprietary software or using legal means, or within tenders of city council.

Besides, creation of artificial intelligence technologies which will be open for all comers is planned. All — from government employees to the general public should know how the artificial intelligence works, the representative of Green Party said.

The name of a product which develops the Hamburg government instead of Microsoft Office is known — Phoenix. It develops as a cloud service and will be used at first by local parliament. At first implementation of open solutions alternative to Microsoft will be voluntary for all state institutions, and further will become obligatory.

Hamburg refused software of Microsoft for benefit of Open Source

Peter Ganten from OSBA considers correct that Hamburg decided to make program migration slowly. However in the future, to achieve cost reduction, positive reaction from users and synergy, to the government it is necessary to create more unified IT environment for most of employees, the expert is sure.

According to him, transition to software should be controlled with open source codes carefully and skillfully, and government employees should like the new software.

Prepare several tenders connected with transition to Open Source for the beginning of June, 2020 of the power of Hamburg. Peter Ganten recommends to the government to cooperate with other regions in Germany that "not invent the bicycle again and again".^[1]

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