The members of the French parliament say switching to an Open Source desktop was less complicated than they anticipated, says April, a French association to promote Open Source software.
MP and their assistants have been using the GNU/Linux distribution Ubuntu for one year, and April today published on their website three video interviews with French MPs. The interviews were done by CIO Online, April today provided the transcription.
The MPs explain it took only a few weeks to get used to the Open Source desktop. Says MP Alain Vidalies: "Even those who are not fond of computers have learned quickly." As with any system, MP Pierre Lasbordes says, initially there were some difficulties. "My staff, being forced to use a new product, are now quite happy with it."
A year after the migration all MPs seem satisfied with their new equipment, April concludes. "Despite tight deadlines and a sustained pace of work, MPs and their assistants have easily adapted to their new environment", said April spokesperson Alix Cazenave, in a statement. "This shows that Open Source is without a doubt ready for the job, for companies and the general public."
The French National Assembly decided to switch to an Open Source desktop in November 2006. The parliament in March last year decided to migrate all its 1145 PCs to Ubuntu. In his interview, MP Rudy Salles, explains how he and his colleagues were recently told that migrating to an Open Source desktop saved half a million euro. "That is when everybody realized that this was probably the right decision."
Further information:
Video and transcripts (in French)