[Sussex] newham council and the linux trials.

[John D]

Sorry, I couldn't quote my original comment, but think that it was "is 
this a cop out?"

The original story about Newham pulling out of the linux trials for 
reasons of cost and migration now (well IMO) seem to be a little hollow. 
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/35063.html seem to be the 
evidence of that. It would appear that it was more of a case of publicly 
pleading poverty to manipulate the situation.

Personally, the IT bloke at Newham seems to be just another of those 
"anti-open source" types, who couldn't be bothered, or maybe plain just 
doesn't like the alternatives to MS products.

If, in financial terms, the cost per seat (whether the facility is 
actually charged per seat or not) worked out cheaper using Linux/open 
source, then surely the allegded additional cost of migration  i.e. the 
training and short term drop in productivity of Newham's computer using 
staff, would be worth it, if, for no other reason, reducing reliance on 
MS, given their record for price increases and other over bearing and 
monopolistic behaviour.

It's fair to say, that I could very easily be "far off the mark" but 
having taken account of both the original story of "them" pulling out of 
the linux trials, and the resulting linked story, things just don't seem 
to "ring true", and I for one, don't believe in coincidence.

regards

John D.