Having recently moved to France, I was surprised by how many people are comfortable with Linux (especially Ubuntu; I've had so many conversations with non-technical people about how they use it instead of Windows) and how common it is to see people using it in public (netbooks and laptops alike). It's not a surprise that the government is becoming more comfortable with the idea of OSS as well.
Why must a push for Linux always be touted as political and/or economical? Why couldn't it just be an openness issue? I see no compelling reason, at all, why government should use proprietary software.
...a government of the people, by the people, for the people, run by software of the people, by the people, for the people...
It might have taken more than a couple 50k/year employees to support the existing setup too; if the new software is better, it will free those people up to perform more productive services than resolving Windows Genuine Advantage problems.
