I'm surprised they developed their own distro. They obviously had the resources to do this, but I would think handling future updates would be more costly to do this in house rather than use an already published distro. Regardless, it's a move in the positive direction for open source and GNU/Linux, we can only hope that other companies and organizations will learn, and follow suit. If not, they will continue to try and stick with Microsoft and will end up purchasing new hardware just to run that software, not to mention overpaying in licensing fees and extra personnel to administer those licenses.

There is no reason users should stick with Windows, other than exactly what the article states... hardware support and software support. GNU/Linux is an excellent and extremely stable platform (the Linux kernel runs most datacenters -- VMware, KVM, etc... all run on the Linux kernel ... and if it's good enough there you can bet it's good enough to run a gaming PC with ease). I have used GNU/Linux on all of my desktops, and Wine has picked up some of the slack for software where vendors refuse to write native GNU/Linux versions. But, migrating software to run on GNU/Linux natively is a huge win. Let's hope this stays on course.

Agreed! The desktops won't be going away anytime soon, but I think that GNU/Linux will continue to grow on desktops so that is definitely a good thing. Microsoft is getting weaker.

This is a smart move by the auto makers. I don't know why they even considered Windows at all for these systems. Windows is proprietary, crippled, and there are just a host of reasons that don't make it a good fit for this. GNU/Linux is completely open, scalable, stable (no crashing/rebooting), and far less expensive without licensing woes of Windows.

I don't know how many problems that I've come across in Windows, that in GNU/Linux is not an issue. Who cares about Windows. Let Windows rot, and let's get on with a real OS.

Finally some aid in correcting some of the issues we are seeing with patent bullying that has become very popular. Unfortunately the patent system is broken in regards to software, so until it is updated it is great to see organisations like this helping the industry.

When the code is exposed to the public, open source should always have the trust of the users. I'm not sure if Stallman predicted the fact that governments would try to insert a backdoor, but his ideals should indeed prevent it. I trust open source software, but I do NOT trust closed and proprietary software from Microsoft or Apple. Those two have already been exposed to releasing personal details to governments.

I am glad IBM is investing more in to and contributing to the Linux kernel. This is what open source is all about, and a sign that Linux is still growing at a rapid pace to replace the old, archaic, and expensive software in the field today.

We don't need to reinvent the wheel here. I don't see why there are claims that Linux can't be scaled, because it CAN. Recompile the kernel to suit your needs. If it's for virtualisation, then do so.

Ubuntu us a newbie-friendly OS for those stuck on Windows for many years. The city of Munich is brilliant for doing this. Finally, a government entity that is looking out for its own citizens, and not being lobbied by big money. Excellent to see this. If only other governments would catch on.

I understand Wayland's purpose, but I also hope they do not ditch X11 too soon as it has been around for many many years and ensures maximum compatibility. Personally, X11 does enough for me and has good enough performance. Let's just not make the same mistake that Gnome did, by ditching the old ways too soon before figuring out the new ways first. If X11 continues to be developed, I will definitely continue to use it.

It is poor on netflix to ignore users and turn away business. However this demonstrates the power of open source software and how it can adapt. This will help a lot of people that dumped Windows to at least use the proprietary netflix services. Now we just need to get around Adobe dropping the ball with developing Flash Player for Linux. Hopefully open source developers can pick up the slack there as well. I put Adobe in the same category as netflix, the LAME category.

RHEL is a conservative release anyway, but this move is a good one. I suspected they would either pick "Classic mode" or use the MATE desktop environment instead.

I've been using GNU/Linux on all of my desktops since 2007, after seeing it outperform Windows in datacenters since 1997. I use Fedora which is known to have some bugs, but that is what you get with cutting edge. I have wanted to try CentOS or Mint on the desktop and haven't put in the time. Needless to say, I couldn't be happier that I finally made the switch. Many years ago I could not, but now GNU/Linux has so many applications that it can easily replace Windows. Easily. Best of all I am able to replace other proprietary Windows software and get rid of Adobe and other software that was costing way too much.

I am glad this information was released. It only makes sense, with Microsoft keeping the Windows kernel closed source. Let's face it, the Linux kernel is setting the bar in business and datacenters; Microsoft is becoming more of a desktop and consumer company. VMware, appliances, and everything in the datacenter all run on the Linux kernel, and has for years. The Windows kernel is too slow and bloated, not to mention more expensive, to run these services. That's why I use GNU/Linux on all desktops as well, it's rock solid and allows me to get the most out of the hardware.