Keeping Up

My friend C was joking that her company has finally embraced Teams to "keep up with the times". They were using some antiquated software before that I had never heard of. That reminded me of this piece of news I had read a while back about a state in Germany dumping MS for good. 

Schleswig-Holstein’s decision to transition its public administration from Microsoft products to open-source software is a major step toward digital sovereignty and greater control over government data. They obviously had been ahead of the times for a long time judging by the move made by C's employer recently. By replacing Word, Excel, Outlook, and eventually Windows with alternatives like LibreOffice, Open-Xchange, and Linux, the state aims to reduce dependence on foreign tech giants, avoid unexpected costs, and keep sensitive information on German-run cloud systems. This move is driven by geopolitical concerns, cost considerations, and a desire to strengthen data security, reflecting a growing awareness of the risks posed by over-reliance on external vendors.

While the shift promises significant benefits in terms of cost savings and digital independence, it is not without challenges but the initiative sets a precedent for other governments, especially as new EU regulations encourage open-source adoption. This approach could inspire a broader movement toward more resilient, innovative, and collaborative digital ecosystems in public administration. Would love to see more of this happen in the private sector. I find it particularly aggravating that MS embeds copilot everywhere and adds close to no value anywhere. Maybe there are programming use cases it does better than it does for me on the occasions I have tried it and been disappointed.