Linux applications making gains
in U.S. and elsewhere">
In addition, Linux continues to gain footholds in U.S. governmental organizations. eWEEK reported this week that the latest stateside governmental win for Linux is the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AOUSC), in Washington, which provides administrative support, program management and policy development services to the federal courts.
The agency is migrating applications from Solaris to Linux using HPs ProLiant servers that are running Red Hat Inc.s Enterprise Linux Advanced Server and HPs StorageWorks tape libraries.
Microsoft Corp. has also been losing many high-profile customers to Linux, many of them governments and governmental agencies and departments. Last year the Israeli government said it would encourage the development of lower-priced alternatives to Microsoft software in an effort to help expand computer use by the public.
The governments of Britain, Brazil, Japan, South Korea, China, South Africa and Russia are also all exploring open-source alternatives to Microsoft, while federal agencies in Germany, France and China are all already using or considering open-source desktops, applications and productivity suites.
But Microsoft has been fighting back and actively been lobbying governments around the world to shun open-source applications and Linux. To that end, Microsoft last January announced a new global initiative to provide governmental agencies with access to Windows source code under its Government Security Program, designed to "address the unique security requirements of governments and international organizations throughout the world."
In addition, this January Microsoft also launched a new advertising campaign, referred to as "Get the Facts," which aims to give customers information about the advantages of using its Windows operating system versus Linux, its open-source competitor.
Check out eWEEK.coms Linux & Open Source Center at http://linux.eweek.com for the latest open-source news, reviews and analysis.
Check out eWEEK.coms Linux & Open Source Center at http://linux.eweek.com for the latest open-source news, reviews and analysis.

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