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| GendBuntu | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | National Gendarmerie |
| OS family | Linux (Unix-like) |
| Working state | Current |
| Source model | Open source andproprietary software |
| Initial release | 2008 (2008) |
| Latest release | 24.04LTS / December 2024; 1 year ago (2024-12) |
| Available in | French |
| Package manager | APT |
| Kernel type | Monolithic (Linux) |
| Default user interface | Unity (user interface) |
| License | Variousfree software licenses, plus proprietary |
| Official website | www |
GendBuntu is a version ofUbuntu adapted for use by France'sNational Gendarmerie. The Gendarmerie have pioneered the use of open source software onservers and personal computers since 2005 when it adopted the OpenOffice.org office suite, making theOpenDocument .odf format its nationwide standard.[1]
The GendBuntu project derives from Microsoft's decision to end the development ofWindows XP, and its inevitable replacement withWindows Vista or a later edition of Windows on government computers. This meant that the Gendarmerie would have incurred large expenses for staff retraining even if it had continued to use proprietary software.[2]
One of the main aims of the GendBuntu project was for the organisation to become independent from proprietary software distributors and editors, and achieve significant savings in software costs (estimated to be around two million euros per year).
Around 90% of the 10,000 computers purchased by the Gendarmerie per year are bought without an operating system, and have GendBuntu installed by the Gendarmerie's technical department. This has become one of the major incentives of the scheme for staff; transferring to GendBuntu from a proprietary system means the staff member receives a new computer with a widescreen monitor.[citation needed]
The main goal is to migrate 80,000 computers by the end of 2014, a date which coincides with the end of support for Microsoft Windows XP. 35,000 GendBuntu desktops and laptops have been deployed as of November 2011.
A major technical problem encountered during the development of the project was keeping the existing computer system online while the update took place, not only in metropolitan France but also in overseas Departments and Regions. It was solved partly by redistributing dedicated servers or workstations onlocal area networks (depending on the number of employees working on each LAN) and with the use of an ITIL-compliant qualifying process.[citation needed]
An IT Support team helped to implement the changes. This included the "core team" at Gendarmerie headquarters atIssy-les-Moulineaux and the "running team" of four located at the Gendarmeriedata center atRosny-sous-Bois.[citation needed]
Microsoft said it would require training of users.
The police force now has 65,000 PC workstations running Ubuntu Linux (version 12.04).
