Hopefully this helps increase adoption. Maybe in a few years GNU+Linux will have 10% of the desktop operating systems market. Maybe even Wine won’t be necessary anymore except for legacy software.
And at the same time we have the Jugendmedienstaatsvertrag in Germany (and with Germany as a strong force in the EU most likely everywhere in the EU soon) that will make all operating systems without fully integrated age restrictions illegal https://www.heise.de/en/news/Minors-protection-State-leaders-mandate-filters-for-operating-systems-10199455.html
Manufacturers of operating systems must then ensure that “only apps that correspond to the age specification or that have been individually and securely activated can be used”. The installation of programs should only be possible via distribution platforms such as app stores that take the age rating into account and have an automated rating system recognized by the Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media (KJM).
This part of the law alone is impossible to implement on a open platform like Linux.
It can’t fail, unless MS pulls a monopoly stunt or bribe politicians… There’s only a win, by ditching MS…
Actually, most of them already do have deals for a limited time. Skype is still available; they needed a new contract since teams does not work without communicating with Microsoft.
OTOH most things they do is via webclient.
If Microsoft was to release a mandatory update that has a single thing that required it to communicate with the organization, by law the whole governmental EU would not be able to use it.
They try this every 5 years or so. Microsoft gives them some short term discounts and they come running back back.
They didn’t just give them a discount, and it was only a very small part of Europe you are talking about. It was Munich, and MS also moved a lot of workplaces to the city, to bribe it…
It’s different this time around.
The previous attempts were about freeing themselves from an abusive unprincipled data-hungry big data monopoly,
This attempt is about freeing themselves from an abusive unprincipled data-hungry big data monopoly operating in a fascist country and in cahoots with the regime.
I reckon it’s serious this time.
Hell, I’m in Silicon Valley here in California, and some of my friends are also jumping off the proprietary ship because those large firms are willing to work hand in hand with federal agencies.
If you’ve read the NSA document disclosures by Edward Snowden, it’s apparent that there is an open door for data requests. The current administration isn’t a huge fan of California’s diversity, so we might as minimize our chances of being targetted…
People are serious, I’ve never seen so many new users in the Linux groups I’m in
Linux Mint?
That might not be so much down to how serious people are but rather just how good Linux has gotten lately (especially for games). Although I do think people are more serious now.
Life long windows user. I switched to Arch a few months ago and I’m not looking back. Will only be using windows in a sandboxed VM if absolutely necessary. Which, I haven’t needed to yet.
Life long windows user. I switched to Arch
Fuck. That’s like going straight from English breakfast tea to hash oil.
I’ve been using Linux almost exclusively both in my personal and professional life for a decade and a half. I only installed Arch a month or two ago.
Installing Arch might be a hassle, I tried it once and couldn’t figure it out so a kept on using Ubuntu and its derivatives. But when I got a Steam Deck I found Steam OS to be easy and the Arch documentation to be thorough and useful.
Other countries like that and Europe deals with are: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Russia and of course, China.
[Some*] Europeans just can’t get over their Arab and Muslim-hate despite neither Qatar nor Saudi Arabia posing any threat to Europe and actually being good trading partners. No tariffs, no restrictions, no unfair competition. They adopt many European standards and are a huge market for European goods and services. Yet still the hate is constantly being peddled.
* hopefully a minority but the hate seems to be universal regardless of the political leaning.
The digital dependence on the US is much like the energy dependence on Russia.
Europe is ditching Russian energy. They may ditch US tech.
God I hope so because I would love to move to Europe as a skilled developer.
I don’t know about the whole Europe but Spain is buying more energy from Russia than before the war and sanctions.
Don’t get me wrong, I hope that would be the case but Europe is also Corporativist.
capitalist*
thats how its called.
The European Union regulates the market so much it’s hard to call it capitalism, the biggest european companies are basically EU projects like Airbus (every government funds it) or too big too fail like Siemens and/or they would use: “strategic industry” and be done with it.
Edit oh and I almost forgot it, or they are like Inditex, basically not European it’s just an European getting rich while exploiting poor people all around the world, but I think this is actually capitalism and that guy isn’t exactly appreciated by ruling dictator, I mean party, in Spain.
deregulation is not the same thing as capitalism.
I’m putting my money on the EU becoming just as openly Fascistic as the US and sticking with Microsoft.
While the former seems to be the obvious trend and Europe has historically leaned towards it. I don’t see how one results in the other. Whether they stick with Microsoft or not is more economical than political.
People are downvoting you, but they’re too scared to actually argue against it. I’m obviously hoping this isn’t the case, but you’d be sticking your head in the sand if you said there was no chance of it happening.
We’re already seeing a massive surge of the far right in Europe. Giant media blitzes on social media such as Twitter shoving far right content in their faces.
I wouldn’t be so sure this time around.
The world is a big uncertainly and the force in Europe for digital sovereignty is something I never seen before.
The initiative to protect Europes boarders and data information is justified.
Did you see the NATO conference? The EU is grovelling for the US. If Microsoft tells them to jump they will say how high
Have you considered that the EU might have lied to Trump?
Have you considered that the EU might have lied to you? https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-defence-firms-chase-european-military-spending-wave-2025-06-18
Talk is cheap. They may say anything to buy time as they make deals between the EU, Canada, and Japan that exclude the US.
Good F#$%^ riddance.
I am all for ditching Microsoft, but why should this post be in this community? There are also Android, Mac OS, and all kinds of BSD.
In the video, he talks about examples of European governments specifically switching to Linux, like a police station using an Ubuntu based distro, and foss software like LibreOffice. I don’t think android, Mac or BSD are mentioned.
Fair enough. I didn’t watch the video.
