LiMux

Updated on Dec 07, 2024

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Developer LiMux Project Working state Current Latest release 5.0 / 2014-11		OS family Unix-like Initial release 2006 (2006)

Source model Combination of open source and closed source

LiMux – The IT evolution is a project by the city of Munich (third-largest city in Germany) to migrate their software systems from closed-source, proprietary Microsoft products to free and open-source software. The project was successfully completed in late 2013, which involved migrating 15,000 personal computers and laptops of public employees to free and open-source software. LiMux is also the name of the Linux distribution (an Ubuntu derivative) used for the project as the operating system including LibreOffice (and WollMux) as the primary productivity software. The project initially had used OpenOffice, but has since switched to LibreOffice. The city reports in addition to gaining freedom in software decisions and increased security, it has also saved €11.7 million (US$16 million).

The addition of "IT Evolution" stands in contrast to "revolution" as a sharp transition was not planned but a slow yet continuous one.

LiMux is the first Linux desktop distribution certified for industry use (ISO 9241) by the TÜV IT, Technical Service, Germany. It was first based on Debian, and later changed to Ubuntu, the most popular Debian derivative. Version 3 available from December 2010 is based on Ubuntu 8.10, version 4 available from August 2011 is based on Ubuntu 10.04 LTS, although using KDE Desktop 3.5 and version 4.1 available from August 2012 is also based on Ubuntu 10.04 LTS. The future version of LiMux will be based on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS.

Similar projects were started with varying success by parts of the Chinese government (Kylin), the Gendarmerie (GendBuntu), Amsterdam (Open.Amsterdam), Zaragoza, Spain (AZLinux), Vienna (abandoned Wienux), and Solothurn, Switzerland (abandoned).

History

In the winter of 2003, Steve Ballmer then-CEO of Microsoft, took a break from a skiing holiday, to talk with the Munich Mayor Christian Ude, to illustrate the alleged disadvantages of the impending migration from Microsoft's products – his remarks, however, were rejected.

A study done, found ultimately a tie between the two alternatives. The majority of the Munich City Council then decided to use the LiMux solution. The decision didn't say that henceforth only open-source software should be used, but only that it was preferred. As much more important point of the decision was the provision that future, to be developed or to be tendered publicly specialized procedures, should be web-based. This should prevent a too strong coupling of the operating system, office suite and specialist software.

Since August 2006, there is also an animal mascot for LiMux in Munich Hellabrunn, the king penguin GoniMux.

On 16 May 2007, the TÜV confirmed by a comprehensive certification process, the usability of the LiMux-based client as a user interface for interactive computer systems according to the ISO standard 9241-110.

Objectives and implementation

The reason for the migration was the end of support for Windows NT 4 by Microsoft in late 2003; thus a replacement of it was necessary. The migration project in Munich is ongoing and not an overnight switch to free software on every desktop. The main goal is to achieve more independence from software distributors, concerning client/server and native client software. The decision in 2003 had two components, on the one hand to get free software running on most of the desktops, and on the other hand to buy and develop web-based and platform independent (e.g. Java-based) business applications. A core goal of the project is to reduce reliance of Microsoft-based software stacks and fund local developers to write replacement software.

In October 2013, the city of Munich had migrated over 15,000 desktop PCs (of about 18,000 desktops) from Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000, and Microsoft Office to the Linux operating system and OpenOffice.org.

The migration was interrupted in the summer of 2004, because the city would investigate the legal implications of software patents. In late 2006, the actual migration of desktops began.

In May 2009, 1800 workstations were converted to Linux, 12,000 took advantage of Open Office.

The AG usability of the project group interviewed the users regularly to achieve a good fit to the needs of employees. The plan is to make the software as simple as possible to use.

The conversion will be monitored carefully. A successful migration might cause other cities and communities to transform their IT infrastructure from Windows to Linux.

Switching to OpenOffice.org

The transition to OpenOffice.org, partly in advance under the Microsoft operating system, is aided by a specially developed (free software) tool - WollMux. This application written in the Java language communicates with OpenOffice.org using the UNO interface. WollMux replaces some applications in Munich used together with Microsoft Office. Its main functions are:

Letterhead system: Fill letterhead templates automatically complying with city-wide appearance, hall function

Form system: Support the agent for preparing documents based on templates that require certain inputs, template selection, automatic printing of different copies, automatic calculation of values from the inputs and inserting at appropriate points

Text blocks: Supporting the clerk when creating documents with text modules

Aids for conducting proper dispositions: Automatically create and print different versions of a document with corresponding conducting proper dispositions

Merge: Merge own module because the merge of OpenOffice.org in many areas covering the needs of the city of Munich inadequate

WollMux is free software publicly available since the end of May 2008.

Timeline

28 May 2003 (2003-05-28): The city council of Munich votes to go ahead with planning.

16 June 2004 – The city council votes 50-29 in favor of migrating and to start an open competitive bidding within months.

5 August 2004 – The project is temporarily halted, due to legal uncertainties concerning software patents.

28 April 2005 – Debian is selected as a platform.

6 September 2005 – It is decided that the project needs an additional one-year pilot test, and migration slips one year.

22 September 2006 – The "soft" [migration begins, one year behind original schedule.

November 2008 – 1200 out of 14,000 have migrated to the LiMux environment (9%; March 2008: 1000=7%), in addition 12000 workstations use OpenOffice.org 2 installed on Windows (March 2008: 6000) and more 100% use Mozilla Firefox 1.5 and Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5 (March 2008: 90%). 18,000 of 21,000 macros, templates and forms are changed into Linux-enabled.

29 May 2008 – The related WollMux-software, developed in-house to support personalised templates and forms in office textprocessing, is declared Open Source

31 December 2009 – The first step, the complete switch to OpenOffice.org enabling the Open Document Format as standard format is done

June 2010 – "More than 3000" are LiMux-workplaces by now. Further 2000 shall migrate in 2010.

In February 2011 – More than 5000 workplaces were based on LiMux.

In June 2011 –More than 6500 workplaces were based on LiMux.

17 December 2011 – "9000" PCs are LiMux-workplaces now. With this they are 500 workplaces ahead of their goal for 2011.

28 March 2012 – In response to a request from the CSU the City reported that it has already saved about 4 million euros in licensing costs as well as reduced the number of support calls

March 2012: The number of monthly complaints dropped from 70 to a maximum of 46 due to the LiMux migration

July 2012 – About 10,500 LiMux PC-workstations

23 November 2012 – Report shows that the savings brought in using LiMux environment are over 10 million euros

January 2013 – About 13,000 LiMux PC-workstations

October 2013 – Over 15,000 LiMux PC-workstations (of about 18,000 workstations)

December 2013 – Munich open-source switch "completed successfully"

August 2014 – Munich deputy mayor, Josef Schmid, and mayor, Dieter Reiter, considering going back to Windows due to productivity problems. Munich city council spokesman Stefan Hauf explained that the majority of issues stem from compatibility issues in OpenOffice, something a switch to LibreOffice could solve. In addition, the city council and Karl-Heinz Schneider, head of municipal IT services, said that most things are fine, they saved €10 million (more than US$13 million), and there is no serious reason to come back. He added that the number of complaints and malfunctions would not exceed the usual number for an administration of this size. Microsoft wants to move German headquarters to Munich in 2016, helped by Reiter who describes himself as a "Microsoft fan".

October 2014 – In response to inquiries by the Green Party, mayor Dieter Reiter revealed that a transition back to Microsoft Windows would cost millions of euros.

August/September 2015 – Jan-Marek Glogowski of LiMux presents about the project status during the "Debian Success Stories" track of the Debian conference and at the LibreOffice conference.

February 2017 - Politicians discuss proposals to replace the Linux-based OS used across the council with a Windows 10-based client.

Limux-Client

The LiMux Client 4.1, from August 2012 is based on LiMux Client 4.0 that was based on Ubuntu 10.04 LTS and KDE desktop 3.5. It includes OpenOffice.org, Mozilla Thunderbird and Mozilla Firefox and other free software products. In the future, LibreOffice will be used instead of OpenOffice.

Because of the end of support for Windows XP, there was some pressure on those responsible in Munich, for offering Linux for the people. As of June 2014, however, there is no public release of the LiMux client, on the grounds that it was specifically tailored for the city infrastructure. Instead Ubuntu 12.04 LTS was distributed as "Linux for Munich" in September 2013.

Version 5.0 of the LiMux Client was released in November 2014 and is based on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS and uses KDE SC 4.12 as Desktop. The default office suite is LibreOffice 4.1 which comes with more than 300 patches most of them also included in newer LibreOffice versions. Mozilla Firefox and Mozilla Thunderbird are included in their ESR versions and come with KDE integration patches.

References

LiMux Wikipedia

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