{"id":86,"date":"2019-06-15T10:05:44","date_gmt":"2019-06-15T07:05:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/noosphere.gr\/?p=86"},"modified":"2020-04-14T22:56:14","modified_gmt":"2020-04-14T19:56:14","slug":"cern-turns-to-open-source-software-as-microsoft-increases-its-fees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/noosphere.gr\/index.php\/archives\/2019\/86","title":{"rendered":"CERN turns to open source software as Microsoft increases its fees"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u039a\u03b1\u03b9 \u03b5\u03b4\u03ce \u03b5\u03af\u03bc\u03b1\u03c3\u03c4\u03b5 \u03bb\u03bf\u03b9\u03c0\u03cc\u03bd. \u03a3\u03b1\u03c2 \u03b8\u03c5\u03bc\u03af\u03b6\u03b5\u03b9 \u03c4\u03af\u03c0\u03bf\u03c4\u03b1 \u03b1\u03c5\u03c4\u03cc; \u03a4\u03bf CERN \u03bb\u03bf\u03b9\u03c0\u03cc\u03bd \u03c4\u03bf \u03b3\u03c5\u03c1\u03af\u03b6\u03b5\u03b9 \u03c3\u03b5 \u03b5\u03bb\u03b5\u03cd\u03b8\u03b5\u03c1\u03bf \u03bb\u03bf\u03b3\u03b9\u03c3\u03bc\u03b9\u03ba\u03cc \u03b3\u03b9\u03b1 \u03bd\u03b1 \u03bc\u03b5\u03b9\u03ce\u03c3\u03b5\u03b9 \u03c4\u03bf \u03ba\u03cc\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2 \u03b1\u03b4\u03b5\u03b9\u03ce\u03bd \u03c7\u03c1\u03ae\u03c3\u03b7\u03c2 \u03b1\u03c0\u03cc \u03c4\u03b7\u03bd Microsoft.<\/p>\n

\u0397 \u03c0\u03b7\u03b3\u03ae \u03c4\u03bf\u03c5 \u03ac\u03c1\u03b8\u03c1\u03bf\u03c5<\/a> \u03b5\u03af\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9 \u03b1\u03c0\u03cc \u03c4\u03bf blog \u03c4\u03bf\u03c5 CERN.<\/p>\n

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MAlt project<\/h1>\n

Taking back control using open software<\/p>\n

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By Emmanuel Ormancey<\/a><\/p>\n

The Microsoft Alternatives project (MAlt) started a year ago to mitigate anticipated software license fee increases. MAlt\u2019s objective is to put us back in control using open software. It is now time to present more widely this project and to explain how it will shape our computing environment.<\/p>\n

Background<\/strong><\/p>\n

Over the years, CERN\u2019s activities and services have increasingly relied on commercial software and solutions to deliver core functionalities, often leveraged by advantageous financial conditions based on the recognition of CERN\u2019s status as an academic, non-profit or research institute. Once installed, well-spread and heavily used, the leverage used to attract CERN service managers to the commercial solutions tends to disappear and be replaced by licensing schemes and business models tuned for the private sector.<\/p>\n

Given the collaborative nature of CERN and its wide community, a high number of licenses are required to deliver services to everyone, and when traditional business models on a per-user basis are applied, the costs per product can be huge and become unaffordable in the long term.<\/p>\n

A prime example is that CERN has enjoyed special conditions for the use of Microsoft products for the last 20 years, by virtue of its status as an \u201cacademic institution\u201d. However, recently, the company has decided to revoke CERN\u2019s academic status, a measure that took effect at the end of the previous contract in March 2019, replaced by a new contract based on user numbers, increasing the license costs by more than a factor of ten. Although CERN has negotiated a ramp-up profile over ten years to give the necessary time to adapt, such costs are not sustainable.<\/p>\n

Anticipating this situation, the IT department created the Microsoft Alternatives project, MAlt, a year ago.<\/p>\n

MAlt\u2019s objective<\/strong><\/p>\n

The initial objective was to investigate the migration from commercial software products (Microsoft and others) to open-source solutions, so as to minimise CERN\u2019s exposure to the risks of unsustainable commercial conditions. By doing so, the laboratory is playing a pioneering role among public research institutions, most of whom have recently been faced with the same dilemma.<\/p>\n

MAlt is a multi-year effort and\u00a0it will now enter a new phase with the first migrations.<\/p>\n

The project\u2019s principles of engagement are to:<\/p>\n