France to ditch Windows for Linux to reduce reliance on US tech

[highplainsdem]

Source: TechCrunch

France is trying to move on from Microsoft Windows. The country said it plans to move some of its government computers currently running Windows to the open source operating system Linux to further reduce its reliance on U.S. technology.

-snip-

Linux is an open source operating system that is free to download and use, with various customized distributions that are tailored and designed for specific use cases or operations.

In a statement, French minister David Amiel said (translated) that the effort was to “regain control of our digital destiny” by relying less on U.S. tech companies. Amiel said that the French government can no longer accept that it doesn’t have control over its data and digital infrastructure.

The French government did not provide a specific timeline for the switchover, or which distributions it was considering. The switchover will begin with computers at the French government’s digital agency, DINUM. When reached by TechCrunch, a spokesperson for Microsoft did not comment on the news.

-snip-

Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/10/france-to-ditch-windows-for-linux-to-reduce-reliance-on-us-tech/

---

This is an especially good idea given the amount of unnecessary AI in Windows now.

[Irish_Dem]

1. Trump will use any connection to threaten, scam, destroy, terrorize.

It is better for the world to sever all ties with the US.
Sad to say.

[RockCreek]

2. Other countries, please follow!!

[graycampervan]

28. Linux

I have been using Linux solely for 20 years. Currently running Linux Mint 19.3 Cinnamon.

[2naSalit]

3. K&R

[Cheezoholic]

4. Better security too n/t

[Mblaze]

5. Just not buying our products

Is worse than a tariff. Thanks Trump.

[BurnDoubt]

6. "They're just not that into you....."

Choose while you still can.

[reACTIONary]

7. I doubt this is going to go anywhere.....

Windows and the Apple OSs beat out Linux in the user domain for a reason - that's what users want. These platforms host the applications that make users productive, and Linux does not. If Linux did, it would have done in MS and Apple long ago.

Trying to top-down force tech on users for transcendent, ideological purposes is not going to beat out user preference and productivity.

In the dark room server domain Linux is very competitive; that, and hard core development, is its niche.

[niyad]

8. As I understand from the piece, this is about government computers,

not personal ones. What am I missing?

[reACTIONary]

20. By that you may mean that government employees don't have a choice....

.... and have to do at work what French minister David Amiel says they shall do? Well, the French bureaucracy may be more disciplined than most, but employees in a bureaucracy have many ways of subverting the dictates of those on high. I don't think this is going to hold - especially after French minister David Amiel gets his new Linux computer.

Remember, The enemy has a vote.

[BadgerKid]

10. Microsoft marketing and Linux fragmentation held back Linux.

There is a small handful of user-friendly Linux distributions so I can see this taking off, finally.

There have been MS Office-type suites like OpenOffice, LibreOffice, and apparently now Euro-Office. (Edit: looks like Euro-Office might be a Google docs replacement.)

[reACTIONary]

16. I use the MS Office Suite at work and the Open suits at home....

.... IMHO, OpenOffice, etc. will not replace MS in a professional environment. And at home I use OpenOffice on Windows. I never heard of Euro-Office, I'll check it out.

For software development at home I use the Windows Linux subsystem. A lot of the developers at work use Mac OS, which is UNIX like, and thus LINUX like. And, of course, Linux.

[paleotn]

12. So, you think just because a system is dominant, that means it's better?

I remember a time when Windows was brand new and not the only game in town. In fact, it wasn't as good as some competitors. OS/2 and Deskmate come to mind. But through a whole lot of luck and market manipulation, Microsoft became dominant. Perhaps it's time Linux became as robust as Windows, and then we won't be beholding to one of Epstein's best clients. France may simply be an early mover.

[reACTIONary]

22. As a general principle, no....

.... but it is also true that some systems are dominant because they ARE better. Don't dismiss that possibility. For the typical business / bureaucratic worker, I think Windows (and Apple) dominate because they ARE better for that sort of worker. In the software development realm, Linux does better, helped along by it being a religion for some techies. Like Emacs . Apple does good in that niche also, because it has a Unix like interface, and, while not "true religion" is more sanctified than Windows.

The other thing to remember is that for some applications dominance itself sometimes contributes to a product being actually, objectively better. In economics it's called network externality.

[paleotn]

24. Buggy old Windows? But I do get your point.

[Escurumbele]

14. There are a lot of application in Linux that can easily be used to get rid of Windows, and not miss it.

For example, one of the productivity software that is most popular is "MS-Windows Office", but the competition is provided by Google, online, and does not have to be installed on your computer, I admit Google's software lacks a few features office has, but one can easily use it for their business and learn to live with those non-existing features.

Linux has also other benefits, it is less hackable and, as Linux becomes even more widely used, a lot of applications will migrate to that platform.

9 months ago:
Linux breaks through 5% share in USA desktop OS market (Statcounter)

Yes, Windows has the upper hand in many categories, one being the availability of productivity software, which raises the question on why Linux has not taken a better approach to providing software to make it more competitive and gain more market. But, Linux does offer other benefits, one of them being security. If more countries decide to take the route France is taking, that should help the software industry start porting their productivity software to Linux.

My company developed a custom productivity software for one of our clients on the Linux system, we developed it in java, running of a web server at the client's shop and allowing other of his shops to connect and use it remotely. If you are on one of the computers running our software, you would never know its Linux, so it is possible.

Lets see what happens.

[reACTIONary]

23. Yes, Let's see what happens.

[hunter]

21. Few people chose Microsoft.

It's just the operating system that came with their new computer. The only other option naive computer users felt they had was Apple, and that cost more.

The first "real" operating system I used regularly was BSD, the University of California version of Unix. My first IBM compatible home computers ran DRDOS.

From Widows 3.1 to Windows 98SE, Microsoft was the only affordable option for leading edge graphical access to the World Wide Web. I went from Netscape to Opera and ignored Internet Explorer.

When the Linux version of Opera was released I quit using Microsoft products on my personal computers. I only use Microsoft or Apple products if someone is paying me. Linux was so similar to BSD it was like coming home again after a forced march through alien lands of tollgates, pitfalls, barbed wire fences, and no trespassing signs.

As is so often true, the average "consumer" is only offered the illusion of choice. Most people don't realize how many choices they actually have; that the don't have to be mere consumers.

France will be fine. They've got plenty of talented people who will make their computers do what they want to do and not what they don't want them to.

[reACTIONary]

25. If you were using BSD at UC....

.... then Linux is for you!

[Random Boomer]

29. You're mistaken about the target audience in question

European governments are moving away from U.S. technology as fast as they can. The data privacy violations of Windows 11, plus the overreach of the Trump Administration into technology and sensitive data, have given this transition renewed urgency. There is active development of Linux to replace reliance on Windows.

On the consumer side, Linux is also making gains as users rebel against Windows 11. The usage of Windows 11 is actually shrinking as people resist upgrading, revert to Windows 10, or jump to another operating system entirely.

I'm making at least a partial transition myself. Before my Microsoft Office subscription runs out, I'm shifting over to LibreOffice instead.

[reACTIONary]

38. At home, I've been using LibreOffice for years....

.... most recently on Windows 11 . Never on Linux.

Reverting to Windows 10 is a bad idea. Currently you have to pay for security patches, and even that won't last much longer. It will become a security risk to keep using it, if it isn't already.

[Sweet Rosie Red]

31. I ditched Windows 20 years ago

Linux was my daily driver for almost 16 years. I loved the ease of configuration and all the freely available apps. It was speedy on old equipment and could do anything I wanted. I ran Ubuntu until Mint came out. I was forced back to Windows after I mistyped a command and bricked my puter. My hands weren’t reliable anymore! After a miseralble 2 years with Windows 10, I had the opportunity to switch to Apple and never looked back. If Linux ever masters dictation, I’d go back in a nanosecond. The major difficulty with Linux, and to a certain extent with Apple is that MS gives it away to banks, governments and nonprofits, and Windows based systems are increasingly tricked out to be non interactive and even attack Apple and Linux based systems People who don’t understand computer basics think the other OSs dont work and abandon them. Apple is increasingly controlling and invasive these days, but if you’re able to work on security, you can turn off the AI, use a VPN and monitor background processes. You have much more control over your data with Apple than with MS. I miss my Linux!

[reACTIONary]

39. RE after I mistyped a command and bricked my puter

Yikes!

This is the sort of thing that does not bode well for the average Joe user.

Then again, MS bricked one of my computers, upgrading it to Windows 10.

[artemisia1]

35. Increased use of Linux may make applications development on its platform more economically viable and lead to

a greater selection of Linux applications and with a greater depth of features. Chicken and Egg scenario.

[reACTIONary]

40. The chicken and egg scenario is correct....

.... the Linux desktop installed base is so small, that developing software for it is not economically viable for a for-profit company. The other side of this is that Linux users expect the open source community to provide software basically for free, so they aren't willing to pay much or anything at all for it.

This leads to a small number of frugal enthusiasts.

[liberalla]

9. Kick

[paleotn]

11. Wise decision.

[IronLionZion]

13. There's quite a learning curve but they might save some money

Microsoft is all about subscription services these days.

Android on phones and Chrome OS are based on Linux. Ubuntu is a popular choice for beginners and has a large user community for support.

Linux is also a great choice for people using older hardware and don't want to upgrade.

[Sweet Rosie Red]

33. Windows is like a car that never drives or sounds right,

only you can’t pop the hood or read the gauges, So you either buy a new one, or hope the guy you just sold your left leg to can actually fix it! I found it awkward, inscrutable and untrustworthy after Ubuntu/Mint.It drove me nuts!

[Evolve Dammit]

15. Great idea

[Wonder Why]

17. Not only is Linux free but all sorts of applications and features

Multiple free Office products
Zillions of free software packages
Current software works on older computers. No more Win11 not working on all your Win10 machines.
Better security.
Update/install patches when YOU want.
Junkware gone.
Easy to remove system components you don't need.
Open Source so you can see what you get.
Better access to code writers.
Easier to get changes to programs
Faster
Highly customizable
Pick from more user friendly to more do-it-yourself versions or combinations.
Versions co-exist, use same software, run same programs.
Lots of free support and knowledgeable people that know and can help with the basics, the internals, the corner cases, etc and all posting on the web.
Lots of forums from system forums to application forums to basic internal/external programs where question can be posted or just search with search engine.
No forcing single browser on the system.

[Cha]

18. Merci Beau Coup, France!!

TY

[Exp]

19. C'est bon! nt

[BidenRocks]

26. I have never used a LINUX system.

If I can access the internets and DU, I don't care what OS it is.
My football pools use Open office.
If work had Linux, I may like it over Windows for my purposes.
I need a test drive.

[usonian]

36. Back when we had CD/DVD drives, you could get a "live CD" linux distro and boot it up to try. I did so many times.

My favorite was/is Knoppix, which has not been updated.

Today, you'd need someone (if not yourself ) to make a bootable thumb drive. Easy but not for n00bs.

SPEAKING OF WHICH!!!

Tails is a linux system that you boot off a thumb drive, ignoring the system hard disk.
It is built for security through and through.

Not only is it good for testing if you can get it from someone or make your own (instructions included), you can use it for safe computing, and even in coffee shops and other insecure places, because it is solid and designed for privacy and security.

https://tails.net

[Polybius]

27. Yeah, good luck with that

[Sweet Rosie Red]

34. Remember dual booting?

I never did figure out how to run a sandboxed system.

[usonian]

30. I replied to another OP.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=3647739

It's a winner. IT staff can tune systems to meet work needs. We are not talking about home gamers.

Microsoft meets ITS needs, not yours. Need to recoup the billions wasted on AI. Copilot sucks eggs.


Mr brother, the least complete literate person around, dropped windows when every update broke his drivers.

He ended up with a Ubuntu linux desktop, bought from, and supported by, Dell (online only) and it meets all his "average Joe" needs.

[highplainsdem]

32. The other thread's a duplicate, as I pointed out there 4 hours ago. Thanks for posting a reply here as well.and

linking to your reply in that duplicate thread.

[usonian]

37. One more thing. Use the safest, most private linux OS ever. TAILS

Tails is a linux system that you boot off a thumb drive, ignoring the system hard disk.
It is built for security through and through.

Formerly you booted a system off a CD/DVD, now you boot off a thumb drive.

If you can get it from someone or make your own (instructions included), you can use it for safe computing, and even in coffee shops and other insecure places, because it is solid and designed for privacy and security.

https://tails.net

"intel only" so far.
Good use for old macs and windows systems.

[RainCaster]

41. They should ditch Oracle as well

Nobody on earth needs that crappy database. Ellison can work the phonelines begging the world's biggest enterprises to renew...

[Aussie105]

42. A lot of European countries are making the switch.

Linux can be tailored to suit your specific needs.

Windows is too locked down and commercialized.

[jfz9580m]

43. I wish I could

I am always protesting so many things I have to go with some things that are convenient as I hate spending more than the minimum amount of time I need to on the kinds of tech (computers and phones) I have minimal interest in.

I am stuck with Windows and the IOS and WhatsApp .
I have disabled as much ai as I can. Those fuckers all better read the writing on various walls

I wish I could use tech built by companies whose CEOs I don’t hate as much as I hate Satya Nadella of Microsoft and Sundar Pichai of Google. They must have the rare employees who hate them as much as I do and are more like Hemant Kappanna than like the average cultist:

https://www.spiegel.de/international/business/the-three-students-who-discovered-dieselgate-a-1173686.html

I go through life identifying the rare person here or there who will stand the test of time in the ongoing endless crisis which won’t really end in my lifetime or at least I will never again be at peace truly.

Kappanna is also probably a decent guy in every area. I think it is pretty rare to be decent in one area, but sketchy in others.
Tech needs Kappannas - the real deal unlike various grifters like Wynn Williams and Frances Haugen who grift one way first and the other way next. I love Yasha Levine that way. He is my favorite tech critic curmudgeon and another person you can rely on like DU’s EarlG/elad, Christopher Ketcham, Ed Zitron etc.

I am a shrill (that is an Atrios reference) MeToo supporter and Epstein humpers like that ass Chomsky (whom I never liked) make these clunkier men so paranoid with trash like “MeToo hysteria” even on the left that it is a strain..As far as I can tell, as a society we police language, jokes and expression to the point where people lose their compass about serious ott misogyny and silently passes are given to these super creepy men like V.S.Ramachandran and similar types whose attitudes towards women are on flagrant display.

These are paranoid times and one has to be sure, especially generally unpopular women like me, that there are no ties in one’s life or even public figures or groups one supports that won’t withstand the test of time outside routine contexts.

[fujiyamasan]

44. I haven't played with Linux in over a decade

But I’ve heard the newer distributions are even better in terms of the UX. It was a bit of a pain back then (maybe over 15 years ago) to find the right drivers and deal with kernels when dealing with an old computer (it was an old intel Xeon workstation even at that time). But it did work after a lot of time spent digging. It could probably done faster now, because of tools I don’t need to mention.

This reminds me I’ll probably dig out an old laptop and resurrect it.

But it really depends on the workflows and dependencies the French government has. If it’s really complex or there are applications that are windows specific, switching costs will be high. I’ve heard some agencies may have tried this already, so they may have some experience. I know the French place high importance on their autonomy and sovereignty. I’m skeptical, but hopefully it works for them.

Governments shouldn’t be beholden or dependent on tech from a country that views them with contempt and ridicule.

[Martin68]

45. The transition from Office applications will not be easy.