Opinion Twice tried, twice failed. In Germany, Munich and Lower Saxony both decided to open source official IT. Both projects, to some extent*, returned to Microsoft. Now the state of Schleswig-Holstein is hoping for a third time. It has been planning the same thing for three years, and now it is pushing the button.
What does Microsoft want with Linux and open source?
There are good reasons to believe that this time open source can hold its own. The lessons learned from the last two failed transitions, namely too high costs and too low compatibility, have been taken on board. The plan is to start with LibreOffice and move through key infrastructure and desktop operating systems to the entire open stack from top to bottom. Open source in 2024 is simply better than it was last decade. Microsoft's focus on moving people to Office 365 and raising the hardware specs for Windows 11 for no good reason makes taking a different route much more appealing.
These are good reasons that make the transition reasonable, desirable and feasible. They have little to do with its success.
Schleswig-Holstein says that the main drivers this time are data protection, privacy and security. The argument is that it is irresponsible to hand all of these over to an outside agency, let alone one without government oversight, albeit under the Digital Services and Digital Markets Act. The state must protect its people. Today, that means their data. The term is Digital Sovereignty. If you think that sounds like a political decision, you're always right.
