Birmingham trials Linux in 40 libraries

Birmingham City Council is converting the PCs used in its 40 libraries to Linux as part of a year-long trial of the Open Source operating system.

The council - the UK's largest - has commissioned an independent auditor to assess whether the trial demonstrates that using Linux and open source software represents better value than using Microsoft alternatives.

Birmingham is trialling Linux on more than 500 PCs as part of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's E-Innovations project to test open source in the public sector.

Note: Birmingham City Council is a Partner of the Open Source Academy