Is your city a Linux city?

[jamyskis]

Does anyone here live somewhere where Linux is used a lot in public services? I've just been into the library here in Paderborn for the first time in ages and, having no computer at the moment (mine's just died), been onto the internet PCs they have here. To my surprise, I found that all the library's PCs are running SuSE 10.1. Hey, it's not Ubuntu, but it's better than nothing. The University of Paderborn uses SuSE Linux machines throughout the campus too.

It's encouraging to see this going on, especially because I know that my tax euros are being spent a little more wisely.

[KaroSHiv0n]

Alas ive never seen linux anywhere where i live, although i think the train arrival displays at stations in the uk are based on a unix system cos once i was waiting for a train and the screen wad blank and it said 'copyright 1968' or similar so i doubt its not unix.

[weatherman]

The coolest thing I saw recently were the tux logos on the cash registers of Edeka (german supermarket chain).
Picture: http://anarchiv.com/p/images/uploads/linuxedeka.jpg

[KaroSHiv0n]

well spotted weatherman!

[MkfIbK7a]

no the library that is a block from my house uses macs,

in fact every library in the county uses macs:roll:

[Engnome]

The tram/bus stops informaiton displays in Gothenburg are debian powered :)

http://www.uni-koblenz.de/~vladimir/blog/2006/11/26/debian-gnulinux-testingunstable-kapellplatsen_b-tty1/

[bastiegast]

Amsterdam is researching the possibilities with open source software, they plan to adopt it.

Our new trams have information displays that made me wonder what OS they use. A few days later I saw a w9k style error message (some cryptic message with a red cross on the left) XD Too bad I didn't have a camera.

[Choad]

Does anyone here live somewhere where Linux is used a lot in public services? I've just been into the library here in Paderborn for the first time in ages and, having no computer at the moment (mine's just died), been onto the internet PCs they have here. To my surprise, I found that all the library's PCs are running SuSE 10.1. Hey, it's not Ubuntu, but it's better than nothing. The University of Paderborn uses SuSE Linux machines throughout the campus too.

It's encouraging to see this going on, especially because I know that my tax euros are being spent a little more wisely.
nice. you should make a point of showing your apprieciation, and let them know that windows isnt missed :)

[DouglasAWh]

You Europeans make me sick. "Do people use Linux?" Bah, I'm more concerned if people in the US have even heard of Linux...

[p_quarles]

I'm fairly certain that more U.S. residents have heard of Linux now than when this thread was posted.

[HermanAB]

The city of Calgary uses several hundred Linux servers.

Linux servers are growing like weeds and Microsoft Roundup doesn't work...

[Luggy]

The coolest thing I saw recently were the tux logos on the cash registers of Edeka (german supermarket chain).
Picture: http://anarchiv.com/p/images/uploads/linuxedeka.jpg

I have seen a few POS ( point of sale ) computers with Tux on the back. Also whenever I go to Lubex to get my oil changed, all their computers run Ubuntu.

[CCNA_student]

Not in Wheatland, whenever I say anything about Linux most people do not even have a clue as to what Linux is.

[paintba||er]

I've only seen two other people use Linux, ever. Once when I was in junior high and a kid from the high school was recruiting people for the programming class and had a laptop covered in Ubuntu stickers, and my brother who I convinced to try Linux. Unfortunately he never really gave Linux a chance and when I ask him why he doesn't use it he just says that he doesn't know how. It makes me laugh to know that Dell would hire someone like him. (he quit because he didn't like reading from a list of questions and answers all day)

[RudolfMDLT]

I wanted to post about this earlier, but I think now is a good time! :) I've only ever seen this once: The Windows XP taskbar at the bottom of the ATM's screen......

Anyway - It's awesome that your city uses a Linux distro. At my University we have an entire floor of PC pools dedicated to Ubuntu.

I haven't followed up on this but my government has made plans to move to open source:
http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/55914.html
http://www.news24.com/News24/Technology/News/0,,2-13-1443_2073631,00.html

The French too seem to be getting into open source:
http://fridge.ubuntu.com/node/814

[~LoKe]

I have no idea, but we have a large population so I'm forced to assume yes.

[bloodlee]

Really cool!

In my city, Windows is many people's favorite. But Ubuntu is becoming better and better.

Someday is waiting. :)

[iPower]

we are a dell with Microsoft Windows and more city

[public_void]

I know Tesco uses Windows for its self-serve checkouts. I watched a guy at my local installing one whilst waiting in a queue. Couldn't figure out if it was Linux, until he restarted the machine. Unsurprisingly both the machines have been out-of-order a couple of times.

[Darkhack]

My regular library still uses Windows, but I once went out just a few miles to a different library to pick up a book that my main one didn't have. Can you guess which book it was? I was looking for "Just for Fun" by Linus Torvalds (auto-biography) and the only library in the area which had it was running KDE on their computers. I couldn't tell if it was Linux (could have been FreeBSD or something) or not (or which distro), but I was really excited to see people using free software. I saw people just sit down and were right away able to use it. They probably barely even noticed that they weren't using Windows.

[Flying caveman]

....

Linux servers are growing like weeds and Microsoft Roundup doesn't work...

That's Funny! :mrgreen:

[dgray_from_dc]

You Europeans make me sick. "Do people use Linux?" Bah, I'm more concerned if people in the US have even heard of Linux...

I agree, most people in the DC area haven't heard of Linux and if they have, they think it's an app for windows.

[koleoptero]

My city is more of a beer city than a linux city...

[xyz]

Among other things, you can pay your taxes using Linux in most Swiss states (called cantons, in fact).The city where I live (http://appl.fr.ch/scc/fritax/telechargement.htm)

[Frumious Boojum]

Not much to report on around here.... I know Dennison University is switching many of their computers over to Ubuntu. Other than that, not much to report on -- school districts keep whining about money, so they spend millions on Windows computers, software, and maitenance every year. Makes a lot of sense, yes?

Almost everything is working on either windows or a dos system around here.

I do know that the Midway touch screen games at the club I go to every weekend is running off of FreeBSD.

[A_Lyle]

Alas ive never seen linux anywhere where i live, although i think the train arrival displays at stations in the uk are based on a unix system cos once i was waiting for a train and the screen wad blank and it said 'copyright 1968' or similar so i doubt its not unix.

Last time I saw one not working, it definitely had a Windows error screen (NT, I think) :(

Cambridge is probably more of a Unix city than most in the UK, if only because the university uses it extensively. Also, on our research campus outside Cambridge, we have a mix of Debian servers and desktops, Mac laptops and Windows desktops (the latter mainly for admin staff and researchers who need to use Windows-only applications).

[bufsabre666]

My city is more of a beer city than a linux city...

beer, hockey, football. winter weather, construction, and saddest of all mac has been infultrating with a mac store in all 5 local malls

ive never wanted to firebomb a store more than a mac store, i feel like im not cool enough to go in and all i hear from there is complaining from people

[Mazza558]

Last time I saw one not working, it definitely had a Windows error screen (NT, I think) :(

Cambridge is probably more of a Unix city than most in the UK, if only because the university uses it extensively. Also, on our research campus outside Cambridge, we have a mix of Debian servers and desktops, Mac laptops and Windows desktops (the latter mainly for admin staff and researchers who need to use Windows-only applications).

Well, I guess, as Cambridge is one of the leading universities, it would logically have the widest range of... well... everything, including advanced OSs.

[JAPrufrock]

Are you kidding me? I haven't met anyone here in the whole country who uses a Linux distro! (Costa Rica). Someone told me that there is a user's group in one of the major cities (Alajuela), but I haven't met anyone personally, or run into a business that uses Linux. I'm thinking of painting Tux on the door of my truck to see if I eventually get a response from someone.

[shafin]

My university (http://www.buet.ac.bd/) uses linux wherever possible,specially on the library.Mostly fedora though. Actually,it was the library browsing room computers that made me accustomed to the linux interface,before I finally decided to switch on home.

Also many people here use linux for superior protection while browsing.

[bufsabre666]

my school too has a fedora and suse lab, and considering a debian lab, i preeched ubuntu but they would prefer the debian to ubuntu and i can understand that

[Linuxratty]

You Europeans make me sick. "Do people use Linux?" Bah, I'm more concerned if people in the US have even heard of Linux...

Why should you be more concerned if us yanks have heard of linux?
And,yeah some of us have have...But in this small town,not many people use it.

[jcwmoore]

You Europeans make me sick. "Do people use Linux?" Bah, I'm more concerned if people in the US have even heard of Linux...

Amen!!!
hell i'd be happy if folks in the US have heard of openoffice

[paintba||er]

You Europeans make me sick. "Do people use Linux?" Bah, I'm more concerned if people in the US have even heard of Linux...

LOL same here. I have a picture of Tux on my binder that clearly says "Linux" under it, and someone today asked me what it was, so I said that it is Tux the Linux mascot. I got a blank stare, so I tried to explain what Linux was and got the reply "You need to stop playing so many games." ](*,)

[-grubby]

Not at all. In fact it's so much a non-linux city that the official city site runs on NT4 :(

[barbedsaber]

Is my city a linnux city?
no, not yet

[allforcarrie]

IN Abilene TX people barly know what the internet, bunch of imbread back woods HICKS.


I'm only stationed there, i dont live there by choice.

[borahshadow]

My city I don't think is however I did go to one of the public libraries once and saw their public computers running kubuntu. To all of the people who say that linux is too different they all seemed to know how to use it. But sadly their checkout computers ran XP probably for a proprietary program.

[DouglasAWh]

Why should you be more concerned if us yanks have heard of linux?
And,yeah some of us have have...But in this small town,not many people use it.

Well, if they haven't heard of it, they aren't using it...in most cases. Of course, they could be using it on an embedded device or just have it set up by one of their kids and be oblivious.

I live in Chapel Hill, just a few miles from Red Hat's headquarter's and a humongous IBM campus and UNC is home to one of the largest digital libraries in the world, which is a tier 1 mirror for Fedora and there are plenty of people who have never seen or ever heard of Linux. This is starting to become less and less the case though, thankfully.

Part of the problem on campus is that "we don't pay for Windows," which was a quote I got from one of my co-workers when I suggested we use DarWine for an in-house ******* application on our Mac boxes, instead of purchasing Parallels and a ******* license. It's true though, cause we have a campus site license. Now, if the campus weren't to pay for the departments use of ******* I bet we would see some tides turning. Money may be the root of all evil, but it also drives efficiency.

[igknighted]

The city of Calgary uses several hundred Linux servers.

Linux servers are growing like weeds and Microsoft Roundup doesn't work...

Your analogy is wrong... round-up always works :P

MS Generic-brand weed killer (tm) on the other hand, that might fail