Savoir Faire Linux, a company dedicated to Linux and Free Software solutions, has sued the Régie des Rentes du Québec this week, for choosing Windows Vista for its computers, without call for bids.
The Régie des Rentes du Québec is using currently Windows 2000 for its systems, but as support for the OS is phased out by Microsoft, the agency must now migrate to another OS. The Régie des Rentes chose Windows Vista, viewed as a natural “software update”.
Savoir Faire Linux’s position is that Windows Vista is a major migration and a change of OS, which should then be done via a call for bids. Furthermore, Savoir Faire Linux says current versions of Linux are more than capable of serving the agency’s IT needs, and that they will also save millions of dollars in the process.
This is the first time in North America that a governement agency is sued for not using open source software. There are previous cases though in Europe, most notably in Germany and in France where whole governement agencies and ministries are now running open source software.
In this case, Vista was not the wisest of choice for the Régie des Rentes, as it is an OS widely known for its shortcomings. However, Savoir Faire Linux is not the white knight either in this case. They are service providers specialized in Linux, and should the systems be migrated to Linux, they would be amongst the first to benefit financially from the deal.
Comments
Stephane Daury March 15, 2008
http://www.zdnet.fr/actualites/informatique/0,39040745,39371628,00.htm
Stephane Daury March 15, 2008
Heri March 15, 2008
the question is it a sensible choice?
PS: i’d chose mac os x (it will cut down on IT costs). but well, i am biased.
Alex Williams March 15, 2008
As for the financial benefit, can you honestly name me one company who has sued another WITHOUT the intention of making money from the deal? Even if they don’t get the contract (which they probably won’t if they win the lawsuit), they’ll still make a HUGE statement in the IT world and greatly help the integration of Linux in corporate environments.
Thanks for posting this! I rarely have time to read news these days and this is the stuff I like to hear about.
Fagstein March 15, 2008
That’s not true. They’re suing for buying software without a bidding process.
Be careful about your choice of words.
Jean-Francois Arseneault March 16, 2008
Je ne peux qu’imaginer les couts engendres par une migration a Vista quand Linux ferait tres bien l’affaire pour la majorite des employes de la RRQ. Bien sur, certains auront toujours besoin de Windows pour certaines applicatons existantes, soyons realistes, mais passer a Vista n’est pas une panacee non plus.
Un-Butt you March 16, 2008
Un-Butt you March 16, 2008
Nicolas March 17, 2008
We have to remember that a big majority of people uses Windows at home and are confortable with it.
We also have to know what’s the age average for most of the government agencies. Older people are less familiar with technology. I still have to help my mom set up the video clock. Not because you are able to make the switch between any OS and learn it quite fast that other people will do the same.
Add to this the cost for the extra helpdesk time you’ll need to answer the new questions that this migration will bring and I’m not that sure you will save that much!
What I think would be the best thing to do is to deploy gradually starting with the top users, the ones that are very confortable and familiar with computers. Maybe an hybrid solution?
Exutoire » La régie des rentes poursuivie pour avoir choisi Windows Vista March 17, 2008
[...] La compagnie Savoir-faire Linux poursuit la régie en se basant sur le fait que de migrer de Windows 2000 vers Windows Vista ne constitue pas seulement une mise à jour mais un changement de système d’exploitation et qu’il devrait y avoir appel d’offre dans ce cas… Savoir-faire Linux utilise comme argument que les versions actuels de Linux seraient tout à fait capable de subvenir aux besoins de la régie et, en plus, celle-ci sauverait des millions de $$. [...]
Sam SEO Montreal March 17, 2008
Fabian Rodriguez March 17, 2008
http://blogs.savoirfairelinux.net/cyrilleberaud/rrqda02481–.html
Maxime Haineault March 19, 2008
Nice syllogism, your premise is wrong.
Nobody’s suing a government (you misspelled it btw) for “not using open source software”, you just can’t do that, this is a laughable idea.
They are being sued for not issuing a call for bids, which they are legally obliged to do in Québec. That’s a very different matter and a valid concern.
Everybody that ever contracted for a Québec government agency at *any* level will tell you that.
In other words Savoir Faire Linux is doing the right thing to protect its “equal” right to propose its Operating System solutions to this government agency.
It’s the law, bottom line.
The only debatable gray zone in my opinion, is weather or not Vista can be seen as an “upgrade” or not and the court will decide that.
Heri March 19, 2008
ok you are right. mea culpa. you win.
and hey, Maxime, you mispelt weather in your last sentence.
Fabian Rodriguez March 19, 2008
http://www.savoirfairelinux.com/english/news/articles/communique-de-presse-de-savoir-faire-linux/
Maxime Haineault March 19, 2008
Bob in Toronto March 26, 2008
It doesn’t matter whether this action wins or loses…what matters is that someone has taken action…and others may do similar things in future.
No longer can governments simply “buy Microsoft” because “that’s what they’ve always done”. They are going to have to do their homework and open up the bidding process.
Alex Grenier April 14, 2008
Such decisions should not be based on bids and even less on court rulings. You can’t just have complex organisations decide on a technological platform in that way.
The Regie is a megalithic financial institution just like a bank. This goes beyond politicians sharing documents and such. They are extremely dependant on their software and technological architecture.
The Regie might have countless of proprietary application developed for Windows, their whole network based on Windows, their security infrastructure, all their technical staff as Windows professionals, and all their office workers familiar with suites of Windows applications.
All of their email and calandering based on Outlook, and their mobile devices using Windows Mobile with active sync. Investment tracking, trading software, training programs, audit processes and policies, all their specialised employees and servicing contracts, everything would have to be thrashed, it would cost millions to replace. Switch to Linux? Are you F@#$@### crazy!!!!!
This decision should be taken internally by a technological architect that fully understands the needs of his organization and the implications of a switch. Obviously he might be a Windows professional and switching to a different platform would invalidate his role – he could find himself out of a job. So indeed there is a bias, but if the main tech guy, and every techy under him, are working under one technology, then they should be able to continue doing so and that would be in the best interest of the organisation.
There are reasons why banks and finance institutions are not using bidding processes when it comes to designing their technological architecture:
First, going for the cheapest stuff is not always (if ever) the best choice, especially when it comes to software.
Second, Microsoft, Oracle, Mac and such have billions of dollars in cash that can be pursued if they cause catastrophic failure of an organisation. An open source organisation, be it Ubuntu or else, has no liability to their software.
And so on.
Bob, you are wrong when you say it does not matter if they win or lose. It sets a dangerous precedent that could threaten the stability of organisations. Insuring that stability is “due diligence” and it must be the responsibility of architects, not “the cheapest bid gets everything else thrashed”.
Montreal Tech Watch » Requête en cours supérieure par FACIL contre le gouvernement du Québec August 28, 2008
[...] est la suite du procès intenté par SavoirFaireLinux contre la Régie des Rentes du Québec l’hiver dernier, qui avait fait un appel d’offres “Windows Vista” pour remplacer son parc Windows [...]