Win2Linux

win2linux is a plain-language course that teaches Linux to people who already know Windows — built for civil servants, public-sector teams and any organisation moving off Microsoft. No terminal, no jargon: 15 guided modules, hands-on labs and a certificate, in French and English.

This isn't theory — France has already done it. The Gendarmerie Nationale runs its own Ubuntu — GendBuntu — on 103,164 workstations, 97% of its fleet, and has saved an estimated €500 million over 20 years (cited to the French parliament in 2024), with total cost of ownership down 40%. In April 2026 the government extended the same move to every ministry — 2.5 million civil servants. The short video below tells that story; every figure is sourced.

Runtime: ~2 min Sources: IDABC OSOR · Wikipedia · French parliament 2024 No invented figures.
The four key numbers

Every number has a source.

Official figures, public records. Hover a tile for context; nothing here is invented.

Workstations deployed
0

Gendarmerie Nationale on GendBuntu — June 2024.

Share of the fleet
0%

Of the total fleet. The rest: specialist machines.

Cumulative savings
0M

Over 20 years. Gen. Marc Boget · parliamentary inquiry, 2024.

Total cost of ownership
0%

Gendarmerie internal figure, in production since 2013.

23 years · four dates

A gradual migration, never a big bang.

2001
Planning begins at the Bureau Sécurité Architecture.
Jan 2008
Migration plan made public. Gradual switch from Windows XP to GendBuntu (Ubuntu LTS).
Jun 2024
103,164 workstations — 97% of the fleet, moving to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.
Apr 2026
Government announces migration of every ministry — 2.5M civil servants. The Gendarmerie becomes the DINUM reference model.
What win2linux teaches

The Gendarmerie replaced the same tools you use.

Microsoft OfficeLibreOffice
Internet ExplorerFirefox
OutlookThunderbird
Windows XPUbuntu LTS

Mapped to course modules M5 (email) and M6 (office suite, incl. Writer · Calc · Impress).

Why it worked

Three operational reasons.

  • Vendor independence — stop depending on a single supplier (IDABC architectural goal).
  • Apps ported first — OpenOffice and Firefox ran from 2005-06, before the OS ever changed.
  • Soft migration — new machine = Linux; old machine = upgraded in its own time.

“The end-user transition went unexpectedly smoothly. Almost no additional training was required.”

EU IDABC OSOR case study · win2linux delivers that same familiarity to ministries starting in 2026
For IT & public procurement

Ready to deploy, ready to buy.

Procurement
UGAP, Chorus Pro, framework agreements.

GDPR & sovereignty
DPIA · EU sub-processors.

✓ SCORM 1.2
MENTOR · Moodle · Sakai · Chamilo ready.

Admin dashboard
Track by directorate, office, agent · CSV export.