Mastodawn

Good 👍 The year of the European Union Linux desktop may finally arrive - True digital sovereignty begins at the desktop. Privacy and safety is important. Microsoft is not trustworthy vendor anymore and it’s OS and apps are spyware. https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/27/the_european_union_linux_desktop/

Phoenix Gee 5d ago

@nixCraft I dare to go further and say anything proprietary and from the US needs - going forward - extra scrutiny. Apple. Google. FB. Twitter. All of that.

Razvan Nicolescu 5d ago

@phoenixgee @nixCraft I know, but we depend on American hardware (Intel, Nvidia, AMD, etc.) too much, and even some of the open-source software is American (Firefox, Signal, some Linux distributions).

flamingored 5d ago

@phoenixgee @nixCraft I agree, the US government is already vetting social media use in the Visa process to enter the country.
Giving them a tool they can use to monitor everyone's use of IT sounds more like 'big brother' by the day.
Seeing how that administration is proactive in shielding big tech US based companies from any accountability, it doesn't make me feel comfortable at all to know they have my data, there's no transparency about what they do with it, and no protection for me.

@nixCraft I’m curious when you think Microsoft was a trustworthy vendor.

My gut says probably not since you needed floppies as install media. (Okay maybe Windows XP).

#Kidding #NotKidding

@nixCraft I've ditched MS Office years ago for EasyOffice, then OpenOffice and then LibreOffice and OnlyOffice. I have 3 PCs at home, they used to run Windows. Now only 1 for gaming still has Windows and other two have been running some flavor of Linux for like 4 or 5 years now and I actually prefer it. KDE and GNOME have matured nicely and are better and nicer than Windows 11.

@rejzor @nixCraft Same. It's only been my gaming PC that has been the sticking point, and in the next couple of months it seems like that might go linux too

@fuchsiashock @nixCraft I've tried it recently since I had entire SSD empty so I didn't have to dick around with bootloader nonsense. I've had too many issues with it, lack of graphic card control panel and features, my Sound Blaster AE-9 didn't work at all etc. I know some of it is fault of vendors like Creative, but I just can't switch over. I might grt SteamDeck 2 when (if) it comes out as that will be more focused Linux gaming experience.

@fuchsiashock @rejzor @nixCraft I am gaming on Linux only, most of the time it just works. You could check your favorite games statuses on https://www.protondb.com/ everything with gold or platinum should be good to go I think.
Tbf I don't use a Nvidia GPU which I hear causes more trouble sometimes.

ProtonDB | Gaming know-how from the Linux and Steam Deck community

Game information for Proton, Linux, Steam Deck, and SteamOS

@alemann @fuchsiashock @nixCraft I'm on Radeon, but entire lack of its control panel and game agnostic features like Radeon Chill to greatly save power and AFMF for "fake frames" that works in any game was a big issue for me.

Angela Scholder 5d ago

@rejzor @nixCraft I guess some more of our machines will be upgraded to Linux, possibly dual boot with the W10 Pro currenly used.
In the end never did dual boot, even though I already prepared the W7 Pro machine for it back then. The laptop is just Ubuntu, which I'd say is why.

Alexa Devreux-Swift 5d ago

@nixCraft my data is either on my laptop and devices, or in a German data centre. I will not use US based products and services anymore.

memseeker 5d ago

@nixCraft I believe that it is time for the EU to build up massive expertise in the digital sector, focus exclusively on FLOSS and become digitally independent. We have lain on our hands long enough and feasted on the IT delivery service of the big players!

Juha Mäkeläinen 5d ago

@memseeker @nixCraft Yes.
Explanation: the term “FLOSS,” means “Free/Libre and Open Source Software,” see https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/floss-and-foss.en.html

FLOSS and FOSS - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation

vlakicas 5d ago

@nixCraft The Linux desktops are the part of this world and people with free or open minds, not EU or similar others material organisations.

Sebastian Gallehr ☮️ ⁂5d ago

@nixCraft
Hoffen wir mal, das der Groschen fällt

Roman Oswald 5d ago

@nixCraft people just don`t care.

Rixt Lothein 5d ago

@roman78 @nixCraft Thats exactly it: they dont care at all.
Whenever I tell my children/grandchildren/friends about the great #advantages of #Linux c.s. they sigh, get a glossy shine in their eyes and continue to use their untrustworthy #🍏, #ms, #x, #Facebook, #Insta, etc., etc. Its the mental lazyness of the user that keeps the big tech on top. Same goes for #dropbox cs.

Kapitän Clownfeuer 5d ago

@nixCraft Using their products has been (by some 😉) considered criminal negligence for decades now. Just saying 😬

George Liquor, American 5d ago

@nixCraft @jaykass

@nixCraft i would like to be european rn xd

Michal Nemecek 5d ago

@nixCraft I agree that eu governments should move to Linux, but this outlet isn’t reputable at all.

cybervegan 5d ago

@nixCraft The press say this kind of thing every time an old version of windows is retired, but Microsoft still manages to forge ahead - they always extend support with conditions, been doing this since at least the demise of WFWG 3.1, and they always announce paid options for big orgs that can't migrate ... It always takes years past the official demise, because they know that almost everyone will eventually cave.

I say this as a firm, decades long advocate of Linux, too.

Amici Is Me 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇳🇴5d ago

just don't make a brand new distribution, there are plenty of european distros and open source ecosystems to use already, promote existing ones by leveraging them with long-term committed grants and the introduction of free and open-source into learning environments from elementary school through to university

when I was young we were indoctrinated into the microsoft ecosystem because this was all we were taught, we can reverse the damage of dependence by changing education

Graham Perrin 5d ago

@nixCraft as a user within a UK organisation where Microsoft 365 is used, I don't believe sjvn's sweeping statement about association with US-based datacenters.

<https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/o365-data-locations?view=o365-worldwide>

― Microsoft 365 data locations - Microsoft 365 Enterprise | Microsoft Learn

<https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/advanced-data-residency?view=o365-worldwide>

― Advanced data residency in Microsoft 365 - Microsoft 365 Enterprise | Microsoft Learn

Microsoft 365 data locations - Microsoft 365 Enterprise

Determine where your Microsoft 365 customer data is stored worldwide. Links in the article show this information for each workload.

@grahamperrin @nixCraft

Be specific. What don't you believe?

If I had decision-making power in any EU state-level organisation, I concur with @phoenixgee here:

Eliminate 100% of US-based products & services, ASAP.

MS has been recorded lying to other companies, law courts, governments, & the public since the 1970s. I see no sign of real change.

Entire product lines, e.g. Win98 & "Active Desktop", were created merely as supportive evidence for its lies.

I do not care what SLAs it offers, what contracts it signs, I do not believe the company's testimony.

I tried to argue this to SUSE management, but it would not listen.

Even if someone's data is in the EU, the EU bits of the cloud could not function without US control, & remain open to US inspection, search, exfiltration, etc. The contracts are completely valueless.

Graham Perrin 5d ago

"𠉧… subscribe to Microsoft 365. This, in turn, means their data and meta-information will be kept in a US-based datacenter. …"

I'm as sure as I can be that my (organisational) data is _not_ kept in a US-based data centre.

@nixCraft @phoenixgee

@grahamperrin @lproven @nixCraft @phoenixgee it doesn't really matter, the US can use "The Cloud Act" to get at data stored in any country if the company has a presence in the US.

@grahamperrin @nixCraft @phoenixgee AFAICS this means 2 things.

-- you trust MS to keep its word

-- you trust the US govt not to peek.

I don't trust either.

Anyone still using or supporting windoze usage is either Bribed, forced by Bribed bosses or politicians or deluded.

EU MUST BECOME INDEPENDENT FROM USA CORPORATIONS AND SPYING.

EU COMMISSION AND POLITICIANS STOP ASS CREEPING AND

FOR THE SAKE OF CITIZENS AND FREEDOM

DO YOUR JOBS:

Would be really great! Be gone big tech, with your manipulative big brother plots…

SirWumpus 👾🍁5d ago

@nixCraft When was Microsoft ever a trustworthy vendor? I still hold grudges for all the reformat/reinstall work I had to do for Win95/98, because Microsoft was in denial about how bad Windows code/security actually was.

Cody Boone Ferguson 5d ago

@nixCraft I migrated my mum’s computer to Zorin. It looks quite like Windows (for the cheap pro version) and it’s way faster too. I can also help her more. She’s still getting used to it but it’s working out. The forcing of secure boot and other rubbish and ads is not acceptable. And now I can use my scripts for her computer too. I just got her another HDD to easily transfer data over.

The Turtle 5d ago

@nixCraft i still maintain that for most users microsoft "support" is a nonfactor. They've never really supported anything without a lot of money, and it's not like the PC physically shuts down on the day some microjerk pulled out of the air as "end of support."

stony kark 5d ago

@nixCraft i guess the amazing marketing strategy of “oh noes we’re ending support, better upgrade for literal spyware and ads” isn’t working out for MS

Scandinavian Hacking 4d ago

@nixCraft it is penguin time! Me and many others are doing our part through the endof10 initiative and more.
Honestly though, Microsoft Copilot has been a lifesaver getting things set up and working on Debian. I wouldn't have my WiFi/Bluetooth card and a custom program for limiting network usage without it.