Lars SørensenFeb 23
Matthias Kirschner

RE: https://gruene.social/@Gerbsen/116052492129846084

Money transfer from the German Federal Administration to Microsoft:

2023: 274.091.361,75 Euro
2024: 347.665.579,71 Euro
2025: 481.369.660,77 Euro

(Source: German Parliament 21/4006 page 96 https://dserver.bundestag.de/btd/21/040/2104006.pdf )

Daniel asks what #FreeSoftware #OpenSource could have been procured and developed with such sums and how you feel about when you see those numbers. He also fears this trend will continue.

Feb 16 at 7:16amWeb
Show threadMoveFastAndFixThingsFeb 16
@kirschner I figured it would be a big number but WTF!
Show threadMarkus FeilnerFeb 16
@kirschner #steuergeldexport
Show threadPeet Tet.....Feb 16

@kirschner @Gerbsen

Und sie benennen nicht die telemetry data die Microsoft bekomen hat gratis und was verwendet und verkauft wird..

Genau, ein von die ursache das Denmark und Schlesswig-Holstein ihre behorden von Microsoft abholen und Open-source gehn.

Auch in Frankreich sind die 600K Gendarmerie schon auf open-source.

Die regierung had in 2024 ein open-source project gestarted und ab ende 2027 mussen 2.5 million beambten gewechselt haben. Source: https://lasuite.numerique.gouv.fr/

Work with LaSuite

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Show threadZikkoFeb 16

@kirschner 460M€ => Senior Dev is about 100k€. This equals about 5000 Senior Devs, full time.

I bet that amount of devs would make a lot of really, really good software.

Show threadDamian FajferFeb 16
@zikko @kirschner and it's JUST Germany. Imagine if we pooled resources as the EU
Show threadDaniel SwannFeb 16

@fajfer @zikko @kirschner and then factor in the cost/benefit of essentially *owning* vs *leasing*.

there was a time when this made sense, but now EU citizens are essentially paying for microsoft to play in the AI bubble

Show threadMark van BijnenFeb 16
@kirschner that will be 1B in 2 years time, wow. It doubles every 2 years.
Show threadunqualifiedtechbrosFeb 16

@kirschner
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227390419_Against_Intellectual_Monopoly

Supporting intellectual monopoly which includes the likes of Microsoft, is supporting externalities which have devastating consequences for society.

Show threadlostprototypeFeb 16
@kirschner Brilliant question to be asking. And lays bare the lie of "build versus by".
Show threadxs4me2Feb 16

@kirschner

Utterly ridiculous indeed... imaging the amount of software, infrastructure, knowledge and jobs this could have led to in Europe... time for change!

Show threadJesus MargarFeb 16
@kirschner Seeing this only as an open source /free software issue is missing the football, in my opinion. Most of that money won't be on software but on cloud services, servers and support. You may replace MS for open source versions but I doubt the costs would go down considerably and I am not sure how many companies would be able to step in at that level. The Government may have to do it by itself (which is possible, but would take time and serious investment).
Show threadJesus MargarFeb 16
@kirschner In an ideal world, you'd see the EU pulling resources together to replace it with an EU-based alternative, ideally publicly run and serving all 27 nations with possibility to export elsewhere, but that would take a few years to develop. I don't see it happening.
Show threadMatthias KirschnerFeb 17
@jesusmargar it is often the argument when dealing with monopolies that they are too big to be replaced by another company. That is exactly the problem, and you have to start implementing strategies so there can be more competition by splitting up different components.
Show threadJay PeachFeb 17
@jesusmargar @kirschner Jesus, and those expenditures would hopefully be done by EU companies paying EU taxes with EU employees. And if the software is open source, even if they were paid handsomely, the fees would probably be 10% of what M$ gets for enshittified software. M$ makes crapware, face it. Or are you just M$ troll?
Show threadFrank HeijkampFeb 16
@kirschner And Microsoft will obviously not lower their prices now they have the customer onboard in their system. When it is extremely difficult and costly for your customer to leave you can basically ask any price you want.
Show threadmrayFeb 16
@kirschner A more visual representation of how #DigitalSovereignty is going:
Show threadAshwin DixitFeb 16

@mray @kirschner

EpsteinGate might bring Microsoft down.

https://rant.li/ashwin/castles-made-of-sand

Castles Made of Sand

( How Microsoft Crumbles ) Table of Contents Introduction Parasites ( A Poem ) Microsoft "Philanthropy" Software Donations "Microbi...

The Moving Finger
Show threadZygmunt KrynickiFeb 16
@kirschner then extrapolate to all of EU and see the sheer power there
Show threadPMFL Feb 16
@kirschner 🤯
Show threadGregoryFeb 16
@kirschner ReactOS would've been finished AND caught up with Windows 11 in terms of compatibility :D
Show threadphilosophizes whilst swimmingFeb 16
@kirschner With 1T Euro you could build a lot of infrastructure, subsidize a lot of free/open software projects. It would not be an easy transition.
Show threadDaniel, aka. CactiChameleon9Feb 16

@kirschner @Gina

What the actual Dickens??!!

Show threadFranklin Delano StalloneFeb 16

@kirschner I think it has no choice but to to continue unless there people are forced to switch. Otherwise they will naturally go with what they know.

The downside to open hardware is that I think it will always favor whoever has the most money despite ideas that it will produce innovation. At this point I think the only way to combat that would be for governments to give an equal amount of the MS costs to legitimate open source developers.

Show threadFranklin Delano StalloneFeb 16

@kirschner Not to say that we should go back to closed system but tech monopolies have been allowed to go on to long. Ex: opening up the iPhone to other browsers will likely just add to the Chrome dominance which is worse than the Safari lock-in imo.

So, I think we just need to accept the only likely way to fight the dominance is money at this point.

Show threadMatthias KirschnerFeb 17
@fds The problems with monopolies is also the reason why we are in front of the European Court of Justice against #Apple: https://fsfe.org/activities/apple-litigation/apple-litigation.en.html
DMA: Litigation against Apple - FSFE

The FSFE is intervening for Free Software in a key court case involving Apple and the European Commission. Apple is trying to avoid obligations derived fro...

FSFE - Free Software Foundation Europe
Show threadkolorafaFeb 17
Też bym szukał alternatyw jakby mi opłaty stałe tak szybko rosły...
Show threadReindeR RustemaFeb 17
@kirschner @Gerbsen and if Germany would have spent that on free software the rest of the world could have saved also a lot of public money because that software would likely be also useful in other countries.
Show threadpbogFeb 17
@kirschner Maybe someone knows how much money Poland spends.
Show threadKevin Karhan Feb 23

@kirschner also those numbers are just absurd!

#NotLegalAdvice #DEpol

Show threadJMFeb 24
@kirschner Let's not forget, Cloud Act, obsoleting good computers by discarding millions of them still in working condition... And the rest.. Telemetry...