Bristol City Council moves in the right Direction

Bristol goes open source

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/online/archives/microsoft/2004/10/bristol_goes_open_source.html

"The biggest ever switch by a UK local authority away from Microsoft software to ‘StarOffice’ desktop solutions based on open source software is set to take place at Bristol City Council," reports E-Government Bulletin.

"Bristol is poised to move up to 5,000 of its staff desktop computers to the StarOffice 7 system early in the New Year, in a move aimed at saving an estimated 1.4 million pounds over five years. The Bristol decision concludes a three-year evaluation of the technical, financial and cultural issues of software migration, including a 600-user pilot in the council’s Neighbourhood and Housing Services Department.

"’Our ICT officers are convinced that the technical quality of StarOffice is good, that the financial business case is accurate and that the cultural issues can be managed so that the migration is handled effectively,’ said Stewart Long, head of ICT. Long said it was highly unlikely that his council’s plans would go the same way as those laid earlier this year by the London borough of Newham, which abandoned a similar move following last-minute price concessions from Microsoft."