German mid-size firms go for Linux

Momentum to migrate from Microsoft Corp. products to open source software is rapidly gaining in Germany, where numerous
enterprises are reacting to the U.S. software giant’s licensing policy.

Small and medium-size businesses (SMBs), in particular, have begun to replace as much Microsoft software as possible with open-source software, such
as the Linux operating system, in an effort to slash their IT costs, according to IT managers attending the LinuxWorld conference and exhibition here.

“Let me be very frank — German mid-size companies don’t care much about IT today because they’re being forced more than ever to focus on their core
business,” said Lars Kloppsteck, IT manager at Heinrich Berndes Haushaltstechnik GmbH & Co. KG, a manufacturer of cooking utensils in Arnsberg,
Germany. “They have two primary criteria: IT must preform; and, above all, it shouldn’t cost much. That’s why open source software is high on just
about everyone’s agenda.”