Germany chooses Linux, removes Windows

The German government has decided to move a significant proportion of its computers from Windows to Linux, despite aggressive price cutting from Microsoft

The city of Munich said on Wednesday that it would switch 14,000 computers from Microsoft's Windows operating system to rival Linux.

The decision is a blow to US giant Microsoft, whose chief executive Steve Ballmer had personally campaigned for Microsoft's counter-offer to the city, based on Windows XP.

Linux is considered to be the only big rival to Microsoft's Windows and can be found on 15 percent of all computers sold in Western Europe.

The Munich decision comes as the German government is installing Linux throughout certain ministries and public institutions.

In the northern state of Lower Saxony, 11,000 police computers will be switched from Microsoft Windows to Linux from next year, according to the interior ministry.

Companies and governments like Linux, written by Linus Torvalds and further developed on the web with the help of thousands of volunteer programmers, because it is a stable software and not controlled by just one company.

Hundreds of companies distribute the software, charging little or nothing for the core software, but taking fees on modifications, services and maintenance.