Tonnerre Lombard
FFII’s coordinator for Switzerland
Bale (Canton) switches to Linux, PostgreSQL
The department of Military, Police and Justice (JPMD) of Bale (Canton, BL) in Switzerland is after the canton Turgovie (TG) the second cantonal administration to switch to Free Software solutions.
The Central Service for Informatics (ZID) of Bale (Canton), which is responsible for the migration, wants to switch to SuSE Linux Enterprise Server version 10 and PostgreSQL version 8.2. The JPMD is thereby considered as a test platform for the rest of the cantonal administration, which is going to follow the example if considered appropriate.
Both cantons are using the software Fabasoft eGov Suite 7.0, a public services request tracking system not heavily unlike RT but including contact data and document management, which is usable for both Windows and Linux. The software also offers a standardized interface for exchange of data with other public service providers.
For more detailed information, please read the Linuxkommunale article on how Bale (Canton) switches to Free Software.