4. "If It Is Broken, Fix It!"

This is the opposite of "If it is not broken, don't fix it." You have an existing system that is slow, buggy, unstable, or is approaching license renewal or requiring new hardware. Don't throw good money after bad.

Sometimes it is worthwhile to rewrite the whole system using FOSS, perhaps with a three-tiered client-server model using a FOSS database to hold the data, an intermediate level of code to do the processing, and a web browser to present the data. This Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP/Perl/Python (LAMP) strategy has been shown to be efficient and flexible in the past.

In 1994, Garden Grove, Florida, developed a system using this three-tier strategy for administering their police, fire department, civil services, and tax collection. Their programming staff consisted of three programmers and a programmer/operator. Other cities were so amazed that this could be done that they sent many of their own staff to understand this concept.

5. Run Parallel Systems to Ensure a Smooth Transition

Do not try to make the transition overnight. Plan it, and make the transition smooth. You want to be a hero, not a goat.

I had a friend who ran the state bank of Türkiye. For years he had been using GNU/Linux to run the server systems, and they were flawless. My friend had a dream of transforming the whole system, including the desktops, to FOSS, but he was close to retirement and he wanted to do this before he left his job.

My friend worked up a plan and made sure that the solutions he needed worked both on Microsoft and on GNU/Linux. He told his staff to run the systems in parallel, to ensure everything could be done on both systems. One Friday, after everyone had gone home, he instructed his IT staff to switch all the systems to GNU/Linux over the weekend. On Monday morning when the users came in, he started receiving telephone calls:

"What has happened to my desktop?"

"Oh, we switched to a new version of the operating system. Are you having problems? Can you do your work?"

"Yes, I can do my work; it is just that it is different."

"If you cannot do your work, just call us and we will help."

They had three calls on Monday. They had two calls on Tuesday. They had one call on Wednesday. There were no more calls for the rest of the week. On Friday he retired.