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After Europe ditched Windows, China follows suit with its own home-grown Linux distros
Quoting: After Europe ditched Windows, China follows suit with its own home-grown Linux distros —
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As the world wakes up to its reliance on US tech, some countries are doing their best to move away from it. A few months ago, we saw the French government move away from Windows, calling its own dependence on US tech a strategic risk. Now, China is following suit by fast-tracking its plans to remove Windows from its government offices, replacing them with in-country Linux alternatives.
Much coverage to follow:
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China removes Abusive Monopolist Microsoft backdoored Windows at state users ahead of plan
Beijing’s instruction stemmed from data security concerns.
Tom's Hardware:
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China reportedly orders state agencies to uninstall its government-only edition of backdoored Windows 10 — Beijing accelerates planned retirement over data security concerns
China's Ministry of State Security has told some state-linked organizations to remove a customized version of backdoored Windows 10 from their machines.
SJVN:
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China joins Europe in scrapping Windows for Linux
According to a Bloomberg report, attributed to China's Ministry of State Security, the country has ordered some government agencies to drop Windows 10 China Government Edition for Chinese-made Linux distributions.
Why not Windows 11? Because China, like many other non-US governments, no longer trusts American companies with their software and services. This approach is all about digital sovereignty.
In addition, even before the recent trend of governments outside America moving away from Windows, Beijing has started a long-running push to replace foreign technology in sensitive systems with domestic, open-source alternatives.
Notebookcheck:
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China follows Europe in switching to Linux with Windows being shown the door earlier than planned
China plans to drop Windows earlier than planned in favor of Linux for some government bodies. The move comes as part of China's broader push to reduce dependence on foreign products and services, especially those of US origin.
Late coverage:
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China Accelerates Government Transition from Windows to Linux
Chinese government agencies have begun a large-scale shift away from Windows 10 China Government Edition, migrating their workflows to national Linux distributions. This move is a logical continuation of a digital sovereignty policy aimed at minimizing reliance on American software and hardware technologies.
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The authorities’ decision to abandon the Microsoft operating system is driven by data security and privacy concerns. There is particular discontent regarding the “intrusiveness” of modern Microsoft OS versions. The refusal to upgrade to Windows 11 only confirms Beijing’s determination to secure the information systems used by the public sector.
Linux Magazine:
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China Switching from Windows to Linux
As more countries distance themselves from American software, even operating systems are getting hit. Such is the case in China, where (according to this Bloomberg report) its special version of Windows 10, developed in a joint venture between Microsoft and the state-owned China Electronics Technology Group, is being dropped in favor of two Chinese Linux distributions, KylinOS and UOS.
The version of Windows 10 in use was created to comply with specific Chinese government requirements, such as localized activation/updates, removal of several consumer services, and support for Chinese cryptographic standards.
At the moment, it is unclear which distribution will replace the Chinese version of Windows 10, but it will most certainly be a distro designed and built in China, which limits it to KylinOS or UOS. Both KylinOS and UOS are designed specifically for government usage. Although these two operating systems are designed in China, specifically for its government, there are still the issues of testing, device drivers, file format compatibility, and staff training.