Go to Open Source. Gendarmerie. Continued.
Continuation of this post about the history of the transition of the French gendarmerie to Ubuntu and open source.
The topic will contain separate quotes about the reasons for the transition, organizational issues, budgeting, technical issues, lessons learned and future plans from the experience of the French gendarmerie at Open Source Os. European Commission's Open Source Observatory and Repository Case Quotes
“In 2005, the gendarmerie took another step towards free software. The first major transition was the replacement of Microsoft Office with the open source counterparty OpenOffice, which was not only free, but also offers exactly the modularity and transparency required by the gendarmerie. Pascal Da (e) nek (Pascal Danek, System Architect of the IT Gendarmerie Department) describes a choice in favor of independence from any company: “We didn’t want any of our software to use a certain OS for us” ”
“When Microsoft announced the release of its new Vista operating system in 2006, the gendarmerie made it clear that at some stage in the near future, not only applications, but also the entire operating system would need to be migrated. The circumstances were just right: the team leader had already gathered considerable experience in working with open sorce software in the course of several completed projects since 2001; In addition, the usability of many GNU / Linux distributions has been greatly improved since then. [...] Since many of the programs were already open and, most importantly, the servers were already running on Debian GNU / Linux, the Gendarmerie began developing a migration plan for the Debian-based Ubuntu GNU / Linux distribution. In the end, the French Ministry of Defense supported this decision with a moratorium on installing Vista . ”
“Regarding the migration process to Ubuntu, a small team of five to ten people (Bureau Securité Architecture) around Pascal Danek and his colleagues were tasked to develop a migration plan for the new OS. The team began working in the late 90s. Their proposals were necessary to make a decision about switching to Ubuntu. ”
“There is no special budget for switching to Ubuntu. The amount of funds for the acquisition of new jobs and the administration of existing ones has not changed and, most likely, will not change in the future. In addition, the savings due to open source software is about 7 million euros annually. ”
“The initial stages of migration were carried out without attracting additional funds. To support the system in the long term, Bureau Securité Architecture has decided to work with a commercial partner for high-level technical advice. To this end, an open tender is being held - a prerequisite under French law. Canonical Ltd. provides free support at this time. (Ubuntu developer company), because the project is important and interesting for both parties. While there is no information what the budget for the "third parties", as the choice at the time of writing has not yet been made. "
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“Planning for the development of generic workplaces, including all the necessary programs and applications and running on Ubuntu, requires careful consideration of a number of factors.”
“The team started with questions: what do we need? Which applications depend on Microsoft and which ones are compatible with Ubuntu? These and other questions were considered in the course of research aimed at developing a plan for a standard workstation that will meet the needs of the gendarmerie in all matters. After the study was completed in mid-2007, it was found that a standard workstation needs 35 applications. ”
“[...] The convenience of the Ubuntu interface was one of the arguments in favor of their choice, as it made the transition from Windows 2000 / XP relatively easy.”
“Since a large number of applications remain the same and can work without problems on Ubuntu (for example, OpenOffice, Firefox) or are web-based, the transition process to the new OS does not create significant technical difficulties. [...] As an example of obstacles in the transition process, Danek brings a shared calendar to Outlook, which was actively used by the administration and for which it was more difficult to find a copy for Ubuntu. But the solution was found - OBM (Open Business Management), an application that could replace (at least largely) the functions of MS Outlook. In the end, the gendarmerie hopes to be able to somehow completely abandon the use of Windows. The goal of 2009 is to migrate up to 15,000 jobs to the new operating system.
From the end user's point of view, the transition went unexpectedly smoothly. There was almost no additional training and education for local police forces using computers in their daily work. This is partly due to the fact that most of the applications remain the same, but the Ubuntu interface is also easy to use.
Pascal Danek points out that the transition from Windows 2000 / XP to Vista would be more difficult, since the new version of this OS introduces a large number of new features and a modified design that can confuse the user. If difficulties arise, there is a special application-tutorial (Didacticien, “Teacher”), which is installed at each workstation and can give additional instructions for solving problems that arise. Additionally, there is a “hot line” where local police stations can get technical assistance. True, this line is used rather infrequently, since most issues can be solved in the process. ”
“The decision to switch to Ubuntu did not require any legal measures, because it is an internal matter of the organization and does not require additional funds. Nevertheless, French law requires certain legal procedures, when partnership with commercial organizations requires additional government spending. The gendarmerie was obliged to take the following measures:
It is expected that the winner of the tender will be announced at the beginning of 2009. "
“Examples of other French government agencies introducing open source: In 2007, the French National Assembly decided to transfer 1,145 workstations to Ubuntu; The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries moved its servers to Mandriva GNU / Linux in 2005. The Paris Consulate uses open applications on its laptops (as decided in June 2008). ”
“The gendarmerie is already cooperating with Canonical, but without a formal contract. Canonical considers the scale of this project as an ideal tool to get feedback on its products. Informal cooperation began only in June 2008. Canonical does not currently provide end-user support. The company will work in close cooperation with a small group of 10–20 people - mostly an IT team of gendarmerie. At the moment, contact is limited to Pascal Danek and several of his colleagues. ”
“For Ubuntu representative Nikka Barcet (Nick Barcet), this project is very important as a source of feedback. [...] As an example, Barset commemorates the problem the gendarmerie had with the Ubuntu Update Manager, requiring administrative rights that were not available to all users. The gendarmerie turned to Canonical and a solution was found. This is especially important for large organizations, since similar problems can be avoided in the future. ”
“For the future, according to Pascal Darek, the team will try to resolve the few remaining issues related to migration, for example, problems with the Samba file server.”
PS Thank you hambeloveku BmW for pointing out inaccuracies in the translation!
The topic will contain separate quotes about the reasons for the transition, organizational issues, budgeting, technical issues, lessons learned and future plans from the experience of the French gendarmerie at Open Source Os. European Commission's Open Source Observatory and Repository Case Quotes
Introduction
“In 2005, the gendarmerie took another step towards free software. The first major transition was the replacement of Microsoft Office with the open source counterparty OpenOffice, which was not only free, but also offers exactly the modularity and transparency required by the gendarmerie. Pascal Da (e) nek (Pascal Danek, System Architect of the IT Gendarmerie Department) describes a choice in favor of independence from any company: “We didn’t want any of our software to use a certain OS for us” ”
“When Microsoft announced the release of its new Vista operating system in 2006, the gendarmerie made it clear that at some stage in the near future, not only applications, but also the entire operating system would need to be migrated. The circumstances were just right: the team leader had already gathered considerable experience in working with open sorce software in the course of several completed projects since 2001; In addition, the usability of many GNU / Linux distributions has been greatly improved since then. [...] Since many of the programs were already open and, most importantly, the servers were already running on Debian GNU / Linux, the Gendarmerie began developing a migration plan for the Debian-based Ubuntu GNU / Linux distribution. In the end, the French Ministry of Defense supported this decision with a moratorium on installing Vista . ”
Organization and political background
“Regarding the migration process to Ubuntu, a small team of five to ten people (Bureau Securité Architecture) around Pascal Danek and his colleagues were tasked to develop a migration plan for the new OS. The team began working in the late 90s. Their proposals were necessary to make a decision about switching to Ubuntu. ”
Budget and financing
“There is no special budget for switching to Ubuntu. The amount of funds for the acquisition of new jobs and the administration of existing ones has not changed and, most likely, will not change in the future. In addition, the savings due to open source software is about 7 million euros annually. ”
“The initial stages of migration were carried out without attracting additional funds. To support the system in the long term, Bureau Securité Architecture has decided to work with a commercial partner for high-level technical advice. To this end, an open tender is being held - a prerequisite under French law. Canonical Ltd. provides free support at this time. (Ubuntu developer company), because the project is important and interesting for both parties. While there is no information what the budget for the "third parties", as the choice at the time of writing has not yet been made. "
')
Technical issues
“Planning for the development of generic workplaces, including all the necessary programs and applications and running on Ubuntu, requires careful consideration of a number of factors.”
“The team started with questions: what do we need? Which applications depend on Microsoft and which ones are compatible with Ubuntu? These and other questions were considered in the course of research aimed at developing a plan for a standard workstation that will meet the needs of the gendarmerie in all matters. After the study was completed in mid-2007, it was found that a standard workstation needs 35 applications. ”
“[...] The convenience of the Ubuntu interface was one of the arguments in favor of their choice, as it made the transition from Windows 2000 / XP relatively easy.”
“Since a large number of applications remain the same and can work without problems on Ubuntu (for example, OpenOffice, Firefox) or are web-based, the transition process to the new OS does not create significant technical difficulties. [...] As an example of obstacles in the transition process, Danek brings a shared calendar to Outlook, which was actively used by the administration and for which it was more difficult to find a copy for Ubuntu. But the solution was found - OBM (Open Business Management), an application that could replace (at least largely) the functions of MS Outlook. In the end, the gendarmerie hopes to be able to somehow completely abandon the use of Windows. The goal of 2009 is to migrate up to 15,000 jobs to the new operating system.
From the end user's point of view, the transition went unexpectedly smoothly. There was almost no additional training and education for local police forces using computers in their daily work. This is partly due to the fact that most of the applications remain the same, but the Ubuntu interface is also easy to use.
Pascal Danek points out that the transition from Windows 2000 / XP to Vista would be more difficult, since the new version of this OS introduces a large number of new features and a modified design that can confuse the user. If difficulties arise, there is a special application-tutorial (Didacticien, “Teacher”), which is installed at each workstation and can give additional instructions for solving problems that arise. Additionally, there is a “hot line” where local police stations can get technical assistance. True, this line is used rather infrequently, since most issues can be solved in the process. ”
Legal issues
“The decision to switch to Ubuntu did not require any legal measures, because it is an internal matter of the organization and does not require additional funds. Nevertheless, French law requires certain legal procedures, when partnership with commercial organizations requires additional government spending. The gendarmerie was obliged to take the following measures:
- Creating an open tender that specifies all requirements and specifications.
- Sending him [the tender] to the state tender committee.
- Publication of the tender.
- Waiting for a response from potential commercial partners.
- Choosing the most suitable partner.
It is expected that the winner of the tender will be announced at the beginning of 2009. "
Cooperation with other government agencies
“Examples of other French government agencies introducing open source: In 2007, the French National Assembly decided to transfer 1,145 workstations to Ubuntu; The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries moved its servers to Mandriva GNU / Linux in 2005. The Paris Consulate uses open applications on its laptops (as decided in June 2008). ”
“The gendarmerie is already cooperating with Canonical, but without a formal contract. Canonical considers the scale of this project as an ideal tool to get feedback on its products. Informal cooperation began only in June 2008. Canonical does not currently provide end-user support. The company will work in close cooperation with a small group of 10–20 people - mostly an IT team of gendarmerie. At the moment, contact is limited to Pascal Danek and several of his colleagues. ”
Lessons learned
“For Ubuntu representative Nikka Barcet (Nick Barcet), this project is very important as a source of feedback. [...] As an example, Barset commemorates the problem the gendarmerie had with the Ubuntu Update Manager, requiring administrative rights that were not available to all users. The gendarmerie turned to Canonical and a solution was found. This is especially important for large organizations, since similar problems can be avoided in the future. ”
Future plans
“For the future, according to Pascal Darek, the team will try to resolve the few remaining issues related to migration, for example, problems with the Samba file server.”
PS Thank you hambeloveku BmW for pointing out inaccuracies in the translation!
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/54219/
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