IBM and Canonical have launched a Microsoft-free desktop software suite for U.S. companies, claiming the package will offer substantial cost reductions compared to a Windows 7 migration. The IBM Client for Smart Work package was launched late last month in Africa as part of the company’s “Microsoft-free” partnership with Canonical, Novell and Red Hat. Though the solution was initially designed for emerging markets, it sparked widespread calls for a similar offering in the United States.
