CERN Is Working To Move Further Away From Microsoft Due To License Costs Going Up By 10x

[Hi-Angel]

Can you share screens with Ekiga? I mean a true alternative.

Matrix? I didn't test, but this says screensharing is supported.

[George99]

What about Ring (now jami)?
https://jami.net/features/

How can I share my screen?

1. During a call, right-click on the correspondence screen.
2. Select the “Screen Sharing” option.
3. Your screen is now shared.

[starshipeleven]

So in this case, "let's find out if there are cheaper alternatives than SfB" would be a much more senseful initiative. Currently it's "let's migrate to anything else coz we know in advance SfB is the most expensive". Idiots.

Dunno, if I got wind that my businness software license costs are going to go up by a factor of 10 for no discernible reason I would assume that it's 100% bullshit I don't want to deal with and I need to get out asap.

I mean, the monetary cost might not be the main factor here.

[edwaleni]

I am still trying to discern why MSFT is hitting them with the price bump. It only says that "they no longer qualify as an education institution"

But if you look at their governance, its clear they aren't really set up like a university, but more like a government agency.

I checked to see how their counterpart is set up (FermiLab in Batavia Illinois) and they are considered a government office of the Department of Energy. (fnal.gov)

So I am thinking that is why MSFT made the change.

[kpedersen]

Hmm, the sceptic in me thinks this might be similar to the NHSbuntu project.

There many projects were half-developed (such as smart-card reading) to move the NHS in England away from Microsoft and towards open-source software with the goal of saving a lot of money...

... Unfortunately this was a ruse, instead this project was used to simply negotiate slightly cheaper licensing costs with Microsoft and to encourage them to keep "supporting" Windows XP for slightly longer.

I imagine the same is happening here. Hopefully not but from a business viewpoint it does kinda make sense.

[Dedale]

I wish the CERN shared a bit more details with the general public. About what precisely they want to replace. A public institution with expertise making such an initiative and daring to call it "We get rid of Microsoft" should succeed and set precedent. I recall something similar with the French Gendarmerie, who met their objectives.

And if whatever solution they find is used by other public institutions they would have fulfilled their public service role with brio.

[microcode]

Hard to say whether CERN is making a sincere effort here, but it's pretty hilarious that they're not considered an academic institution; I guess it's probably Microsoft realizing that people don't move on from CERN to expect Windows at their next workplace.

[HadrienG]

I guess the time has come for CERN to come up with a real opensource alternative to Skype for Linux?

Already has, in a way. The main videoconferencing system used at CERN these days is Vidyo. As far as I know, Skype is mostly used for the VoIP landline phone infrastructure, which is niche in comparison (even if it's huge on an absolute scale).

[bachchain]

LiMux 2: electric boogaloo

[Sergey]

There is a good starting point.