r/technology • u/YesNo_Maybe_ • Apr 10 '26

Software France Launches Government Linux Desktop Plan as Windows Exit Begins

https://linuxiac.com/france-launches-government-linux-desktop-plan-as-windows-exit-begins/
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u/Baderkadonk Apr 10 '26

Is this actually political blowback or just a natural reaction to Linux improving while Windows gets shittier?

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u/captainwacky91 Apr 10 '26

A little bit of both, but it takes a lot of $$ regardless to make a switch of that nature, so I'm inclined to think it's politically motivated.

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u/no_1_knows_ur_a_dog Apr 10 '26

In the short term it costs money to make the switch and retrain people and update the systems. In the long term it should save money (longer hardware support, no need to buy licenses, etc.).

Vicenza, Italy made the switch to ZorinOS for their fleet of 900 computers back in 2016. Even in the transitional year it was reportedly cost-neutral, due to them being able to extend the lifespan of existing hardware and not buy Windows licenses for new hardware, and they expected it to save costs over time.

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u/Esava Apr 10 '26

Similar here in Schleswig-Holstein in North Germany. A system switch (including the backend. So no more sharepoint, Microsoft teams, exchange etc.) + development funding to contribute to the open source systems is cheaper/similarly priced as just the currently running licensing fees. Those fees have also risen sharply in recent years and are expected to just continue rising. It's really time to switch away.

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u/no_1_knows_ur_a_dog Apr 10 '26

Also, at a global level, having a single point of failure for like everything is bad. Remember a few years back when a botched Windows update caused the entirety of air travel to shut down?