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Read the whole article you linked.

A definition of success that includes the following statements is tolerant:

"In reality, ongoing testing of the desktop configuration means no Linux desktops have yet been installed. Instead, 96 public desktops and 134 staff desktops are running open source applications such as the OpenOffice.org office suite and the Firefox browser."

The project has proven that OpenOffice and FireFox run on Windows. Glad those doubts are resolved.

Which explains this quote:

"While attempting to design and implement a Linux desktop system that could be used by staff and the general public with limited technical knowledge turned out to be an onerous and frustrating chore, by contrast, many of the open source applications themselves ran smoothly and went over well with users."

Imitation of Microsoft products on Windows can run well enough to satisfy people on minimal use. Good copy of a winning formula. But, of course, one needs Windows.


And the last paragraph:

"In October 2003, the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and the Office of the e-Envoy (OeE) announced they would fund IBM to run nine proof-of-concept open source trials designed to mesure the cost-benefits of open source over proprietary software such as Windows. Participants were to include the OeE, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Powys CC, Newham and Ofwat, with Newham dropping out. None of the trials have led to further rollouts."

That's a solid success rate.
And I think IBM reorganized in Europe when the company realized that government open source projects would be neither easy nor a bonanza.
IBM's withdrawal from the market can be considered the main open source success.


So why hasn't Birmingham given up on open source?

As with Munich, the stubborn determination of believers:

"The council does plan to begin migrating those desktops to its Suse Professional 9.3-based desktop OS, however, a plan that should go into action in the near future, according to Evans. He said that far from scrapping the Linux initiative, as has occurred in some other high-profile cases such as the London borough of Newham, Birmingham is planning to "significantly increase" the number of desktops involved with the project."

Well, a significant increase from 0 doesn't take much.

But what can one say of power so confident that it can overlook a rolling disaster of a trial and the promise of huge costs with no guarantee of success?

I'd call it a failure of the electoral system.

But still, I suppose you should call it a triumph. After all, it's all that Linux can call a success.

Posted by: Anton Philidor   Posted on: 12/04/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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