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France's government is ditching Windows for Linux, says US tech a strategic risk

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Re: France's government is ditching Windows for Linux, says US tech a strategic risk

#161

Post by bigfudge »

raincole wrote: post #123
idoubtit wrote: post #108

The chain of facts makes me sad: 1. The French government announces its digital agency is to write a plan, by the end of the year, so that France could reduce its extra-European dependencies. The communiqué is wrapped up with minor facts (e.g. the digital agency is to switch to Linux on dozens of computers) and big promises from Ministers. 2. Various news sites state that "France is ditching Windows", at least in the…

This is EU, what else do you expect? European officials saying they're ditching Windows has become a ritual: https://www.linuxjournal.com/content/german-open-source-expe... : > The German Foreign Office first moved over to Linux as a server platform in 2001... the Foreign Office of Germany made the announcement (translated news report) that it is migrating away from Linux back to Windows as its desktop solution. http…

Those attempts happened before the US really made such a concrete demonstration it was a security and strategic risk though. That was back in the good old days where they at least pretended to be strategic partners.

It's good to be sceptical, but the US really does present a clear danger to the EU and UK now (and the rest of the world). I'm hopeful that this will actually materialise this time, and that Munich and Birmingham and the others will have paved the way and built some expertise.

Re: France's government is ditching Windows for Linux, says US tech a strategic risk

#162

Post by ErroneousBosh »

Mashimo wrote: post #128
ErroneousBosh wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay, I don't think it would be all that effective and I don't see how it could be. I learn things by doing them, not by playing guessing games.

That's fine. We all learn different. But it's still effective for other people :) So it's useful for them.

Fair enough I guess. Everything I've seen that's presented as something great about AI just looks like something I'd pay quite a lot of money to avoid.

Re: France's government is ditching Windows for Linux, says US tech a strategic risk

#164

Post by bigfudge »

slibhb wrote: post #148
idoubtit wrote: post #108

The chain of facts makes me sad: 1. The French government announces its digital agency is to write a plan, by the end of the year, so that France could reduce its extra-European dependencies. The communiqué is wrapped up with minor facts (e.g. the digital agency is to switch to Linux on dozens of computers) and big promises from Ministers. 2. Various news sites state that "France is ditching Windows", at least in the…

Performative anti-Americanism has become one of the major features of European culture (and especially French culture).

The French are just (wonderfully) arrogant enough to say what everyone else is thinking. The UK will likely be too spineless to actually follow through, but the Germans and Eastern Europeans are not going to tolerate the level of exposure we all have to US craziness any longer.

Re: France's government is ditching Windows for Linux, says US tech a strategic risk

#165

Post by vrganj »

slibhb wrote: post #148
idoubtit wrote: post #108

The chain of facts makes me sad: 1. The French government announces its digital agency is to write a plan, by the end of the year, so that France could reduce its extra-European dependencies. The communiqué is wrapped up with minor facts (e.g. the digital agency is to switch to Linux on dozens of computers) and big promises from Ministers. 2. Various news sites state that "France is ditching Windows", at least in the…

Performative anti-Americanism has become one of the major features of European culture (and especially French culture).

As a European, the Anti-Americanism is not performative.

It's a deep disconnect in values, brought to the forefront by the current administration and the oligarchs running wild.

America used to be seen as an example, the big brother watching out for us.

Now it's a cautionary tale of greed, hubris and societal decay, as well as an increasingly antagonistic actor of global instability.

Y'all ruined your reputation and the fact you're trying to pin that on us is just another example of said hubris. Until you at least own up to it, there's no viable path to recovery.

Re: France's government is ditching Windows for Linux, says US tech a strategic risk

#166

Post by slibhb »

vrganj wrote: post #165
slibhb wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Performative anti-Americanism has become one of the major features of European culture (and especially French culture).

As a European, the Anti-Americanism is not performative. It's a deep disconnect in values, brought to the forefront by the current administration and the oligarchs running wild. America used to be seen as an example, the big brother watching out for us. Now it's a cautionary tale of greed, hubris and societal decay, as well as an increasingly antagonistic actor of global instability. Y'all ruined your reputation and…

It's mostly performative, and posts like this prove the point.

Re: France's government is ditching Windows for Linux, says US tech a strategic risk

#167

Post by bigfudge »

slibhb wrote: post #153
x3ro wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's performative about not wanting to go down with a sinking ship? Or are you under the illusion that the U.S. is doing particularly well right now? It appears that the "we have the bigger stick" strategy is finally meeting some resistance, and I am happy to see it.

France deciding, in principle, to come up with a plan for not using Microsoft is performative. It stops being performative when they actually do it. At any rate, is there a good reason for France to stop using Microsoft? I'm doubtful. It's a bit like the DoD declaring Anthropic a "supply chain risk"; basically performative. To respond to the rest of your post: while the Trump administration's behavior has diminished…

> European skepticism of the US has its roots in the postwar era.

This is crazy. The Europeans fell hook line and sinker for the line that the US could be trusted to manage security for Europe and would always be a dependable ally. That suited everyone — Europe because we could focus spending on post war reconstruction, and the US because you made a shit tonne of money by being the world's arms dealer and policeman.

There was no resentment of the US. Europe was in love with US culture (weird French cinema rules aside). And especially Eastern Europe... who have now had the hardest of all disillusionments.

This administration has destroyed the goodwill and trust built up over 80 years, and the economic foundation which made you rich and powerful. Let's check back in 30 years and see if that was a good idea. I'm hopeful that French nukes and Ukrainian ingenuity (and MAGA incompetence) will see us through the next 10-15 years of transition as re right the past mistake of trusting the US.

Re: France's government is ditching Windows for Linux, says US tech a strategic risk

#168

Post by vrganj »

slibhb wrote: post #153
x3ro wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's performative about not wanting to go down with a sinking ship? Or are you under the illusion that the U.S. is doing particularly well right now? It appears that the "we have the bigger stick" strategy is finally meeting some resistance, and I am happy to see it.

France deciding, in principle, to come up with a plan for not using Microsoft is performative. It stops being performative when they actually do it. At any rate, is there a good reason for France to stop using Microsoft? I'm doubtful. It's a bit like the DoD declaring Anthropic a "supply chain risk"; basically performative. To respond to the rest of your post: while the Trump administration's behavior has diminished…

You must live in a different reality from me. The EU has closed trade deals with India and Mercosur this year alone, recentering the global economy around itself.

Meanwhile, the resentment seems to radiate from the White House as they increasingly realize how their moves are making them irrelevant on the global stage.

We're not upset. We just don't think you matter anymore.

Re: France's government is ditching Windows for Linux, says US tech a strategic risk

#169

Post by coliveira »

stephen_g wrote: post #159
x3ro wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's performative about not wanting to go down with a sinking ship? Or are you under the illusion that the U.S. is doing particularly well right now? It appears that the "we have the bigger stick" strategy is finally meeting some resistance, and I am happy to see it.

I mean it’s not just that, the current administration have destroyed a bunch of the US’s oldest and most important alliances… I’m not in Europe but in another allied country, the feeling amongst people here is that the US is not able to be trusted as a partner anymore. And with ways the Government can apply pressure to US companies (CLOUD Act etc.) that extends to IS companies too.

It's not the current administration that started this process. The US has for decades gone against the Europeans, step after step, asserting policies that only favor US companies. In the past however, the US administrations sugarcoated this fact with the language of cooperation. The current US government is now laying bare the fact that they're creating a political system where all technology and resources are controlled by the US and their "allies" are mere observers that should not do anything about it.

Re: France's government is ditching Windows for Linux, says US tech a strategic risk

#170

Post by vrganj »

slibhb wrote: post #166
vrganj wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a European, the Anti-Americanism is not performative. It's a deep disconnect in values, brought to the forefront by the current administration and the oligarchs running wild. America used to be seen as an example, the big brother watching out for us. Now it's a cautionary tale of greed, hubris and societal decay, as well as an increasingly antagonistic actor of global instability. Y'all ruined your reputation and…

It's mostly performative, and posts like this prove the point.

Meanwhile, I believe your post proves my point. Funny how perspective works, isn't it?

It feels like the last tantrum of a dying empire from our vantage point.

Sad, but ultimately irrelevant.

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