South Korea’s government explores moving approximately 3.3 million Windows computers to Linux desktops

With Windows 7 in its support coffin, some institutions are finally giving up on Windows entirely. The biggest of these may be the South Korean government. In May 2019, South Korea’s Interior Ministry announced plans to look into switching to the Linux desktop from Windows. It must have liked what it saw. According to the Korean news site Newsis, the South Korean Ministry of Strategy and Planning has announced the government is exploring moving most of its approximately 3.3 million Windows computers to Linux.

The reason for this is simple. It’s to reduce software licensing costs and the government’s reliance on Windows. As Choi Jang-hyuk, the head of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, said, "We will resolve our dependency on a single company while reducing the budget by introducing an open-source operating system."

It’s early days yet. This move may be meant to win significant discounts from Microsoft for Windows licenses. We may also see both Windows and Linux as running primarily in a DaaS mode by then. Only time, politics, and governmental budgeting will tell.

See South Korea’s government explores move from Windows to Linux desktop | ZDNet

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In what may prove to be the biggest migration from Windows to the Linux desktop, the South Korean government is looking into shifting from Windows 7 to a trio of Linux desktops.