The migration of around 300 business applications from Windows to Linux is one of the biggest challenges facing the city of Munich, which has embarked on one of Europe’s largest open-source projects in the public sector.“We knew from the start that migrating our many city administration-specific applications would not be easy,” said Florian Schiessl, a manager in the city’s Linux-migration project, called LiMux. “And it isn’t, frankly.”Schiessl declined to say how many applications have been migrated to date. He said that only one-third of the city’s suppliers say they “have a migration path, and that another one-third claim they will find a migration path but that suppliers of the remaining one-third have remained mum on the topic so far. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe The migration process for vendors requires both time and, especially, money, Schiessl said. “If some suppliers are unable to migrate their application to Linux or simply don’t want to, then we are prepared to tender for a new supplier when the existing contract expires,” he said. “Our goal is to have 80 percent of our applications migrated to Linux by 2008.”Munich plans to extend its extensive pilot phase for the client software into the first quarter of 2006, according to Schiessl. In April, the city selected two local German software companies to equip all 14,000 computers in its public administration with Linux and other open-source office applications.Softcon AG and Gonicus GmbH, which submitted a joint bid, were selected to install open-source software provided through the Debian GNU/Linux project. The two companies will also provide a range of applications designed specifically for the city administration.Munich is talking with other cities, such as Vienna, that have launched similar Linux migration projects. “Many view us as an ice breaker and are keen to learn how we’re tackling certain issues, even if their own administrations will require tailored solutions to meet specific needs,” Scheissl said. By John Blau, IDG News Service Related content opinion The changing face of cybersecurity threats in 2023 Cybersecurity has always been a cat-and-mouse game, but the mice keep getting bigger and are becoming increasingly harder to hunt. By Dipti Parmar Sep 29, 2023 8 mins Cybercrime Security brandpost Should finance organizations bank on Generative AI? Finance and banking organizations are looking at generative AI to support employees and customers across a range of text and numerically-based use cases. By Jay Limbasiya, Global AI, Analytics, & Data Management Business Development, Unstructured Data Solutions, Dell Technologies Sep 29, 2023 5 mins Artificial Intelligence brandpost Embrace the Generative AI revolution: a guide to integrating Generative AI into your operations The CTO of SAP shares his experiences and learnings to provide actionable insights on navigating the GenAI revolution. By Juergen Mueller Sep 29, 2023 4 mins Artificial Intelligence feature 10 most in-demand generative AI skills Gen AI is booming, and companies are scrambling to fill skills gaps by hiring freelancers to make the most of the technology. These are the 10 most sought-after generative AI skills on the market right now. By Sarah K. White Sep 29, 2023 8 mins Hiring Generative AI IT Skills Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe