Deprecate Windows/Office! Another German state announced the use of open source software and Linux / LibreOffice to completely get rid of Microsoft

Recently, another German state announced that it would abandon Microsoft Windows and Office, and instead use open source software and Linux / LibreOffice instead, in order to get rid of the "monopoly" from the technology giant Microsoft.

On November 18, Mike Saunders of the LibreOffice Documentation Foundation announced on the official blog that the German government plans to switch 25,000 personal computers to LibreOffice. ) Has taken the lead in fulfilling this plan, officially announcing the abandonment of Microsoft Windows and Office in favor of completely using open source software and Linux / LibreOffice instead.

It is reported that Schleswig-Holstein has planned to switch to open source software, including LibreOffice, in its administration and schools. Through this plan, the country can reduce its reliance on proprietary software and eventually get rid of this reliance completely.

Mike Saunders said that by the end of 2026, Microsoft Office on all 25,000 computers used by German civil servants and employees (including teachers) will be completely replaced by LibreOffice, and the Windows operating system will also be replaced by GNU open source agreement/Linux.

The state's digital minister Jan Philipp Albrecht said in an interview with the media that the plan of the Schleswig-Holstein state parliament (Germany) has clarified the necessary steps for the above plan.

At the same time, Lothar Becker and Thorsten Behrens from the LibreOffice Document Foundation have been invited to meet with relevant leaders to discuss cloud solutions, the integration of LibreOffice with other systems, and video conferencing tools.

Mike Saunders emphasized that what makes the LibreOffice Document Foundation happy is that LibreOffice is being used in public institutions and hopes that more federal states, governments, and other organizations around the world will join.

The German state of Schönlech "gets rid of" the independence of the tech giants

It is reported that the German state of Schleswig-Holstein has a population of about 3 million. Since the idea of open source was proposed in 2012, the state, like other states in Germany, has slowly but steadily addressed open source solutions to the public sector. The program moves forward and is committed to digital independence.

In 2014, Gijs Hillenius of the LibreOffice Documentation Foundation posted on OSOR: “In June 2012, the newly elected government stated in its alliance agreement that it would increase the use of free software solutions by public administrations”. He stated that the general reason for proposing the Schleswig-Holstein state government to switch to FLOSS (free and open source software) is to reduce vendor lock-in, lower IT prices and subscriptions, and avoid data leakage.

During 2019-2021, Schleswig-Holstein has a local pilot in which all management computers have been tested and can be run with open source software.

The reduction of Microsoft's products in the public sector in the German states in 2020 happens to be a key turning point for Schleswig-Holstein to officially "get rid of" the technology giant and embark on the road to independence.

The state’s Minister of Digitalization Jan Philipp Albrecht (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) stated that “we have tested LibreOffice in the IT department for two years, and our experience is clear: it is effective”, “when editing annotated Microsoft Word documents It is also very effective. The interface between LibreOffice and our electronic document software has been running stably for 6 months."

Prior to this, about 25,000 management computers in Schleswig-Holstein had Microsoft products installed, and the annual subscription cost was 2.5 million euros. Last year, Schleswig-Holstein did take action to reduce the deal with Microsoft, and plans to save 6.8 million euros by 2025.

This time, Schleswig-Holstein further officially announced its plan to completely abandon Microsoft Windows, Office, Zoom teleconference software and other proprietary software, and instead use open source Linux, LibreOffice, OnlyOffice and Jitzi.

According to reports, since last year, South Korea and Germany have successively announced the abandonment of Windows, and Germany's planning for this plan is progressing step by step. At present, the plan in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany has entered an advanced stage.