14 DAY TRIAL // Munich is not only one of the largest cities in Europe, but also one of the first that actually decided to give up on Windows and move all computers to Linux as part of a large project comprising more than 15,000 PCs.
The migration plan, which was started last decade, was called LiMux (Linux in Munich) and was among the first such efforts which served as living proof that Microsoft software can, with some investments, be replaced by open-source products.
There's no secret, however, that the switch to Linux had to face strong opposition not only from local officials, but also from organizations overseas, with some claiming that moving to open-source might not be such an affordable investment after all.
One of those who didn't back the switch was none other than Steve Ballmer, the former CEO of Microsoft who was in charge of the software giant's business when Munich decided to jump ship and give up on Windows.
A post published on opensource.com and citing information provided by Peter Hoffman, the project leader for LiMux, Ballmer himself decided to fly to Munich and discuss with the mayor on their plans to replace Microsoft software with open-source alternatives.
“Steve Ballmer tried to convince our mayor that it would be a bad decision to switch to open source, because it's not something an administration can rely on. But some members of the city council said: what are we, if one member of a big company simply comes here, and he thinks he can just switch our opinions?” Hoffman explained.
What happened next is as funny as it is sad for Ballmer's negotiation skills.
“Our mayor was preparing for a meeting with Steve Ballmer, and because English is not his native language, he asked his interpreter: ‘What shall I say if I don't have the right words?’ And the interpreter replied: ‘Stay calm, think and say: What else can you offer?’ Later on during the meeting, our mayor was quickly at the point where he had nothing to say to Ballmer, except for ‘What else can you offer?’ several times. Years later, he heard that Ballmer was deeply impressed by how hard he was in negotiations!”
In the end, Munich decided to make the switch to Linux and Microsoft, with Ballmer at the top of the company, lost one of the most important battles its history.
At this point, some say that moving to open source software is actually more expensive, but it turns out that Munich is doing quite fine now without Microsoft products.