i’d say microsoft is the biggest threat because they hold a lot of critical data… if oracle snuffs out of existence, companies can probably migrate reasonably easily (don’t get me wrong there would be gnashing of teeth but alternatives exist), CRM there are EU alternatives (ERP, whilst different, is i think a superset of this and yall have SAP which is german) which tend to throw money at companies wanting to switch, adobe… i mean, they don’t really hold business critical data - it’d be disruptive, but not catastrophic if they disappeared
microsoft however hosts huge amounts of business critical data - email, one drive, sharepoint, office, and of course windows: it’s easy to say that email migration is easy, foss alternatives exist for all of this, but the data is particularly problematic and getting users to embrace a whole suite of new systems is pretty difficult
True in all your points. Granted. But I just pulled some outta my behind. What’s with google (workspace)? Slack? Zoom? Jira? And all those I don’t just think of right now.
Yet, while your points are basically true, even if moving away from a software pose a medium hassle, there has to be an equal contender first. For ms there is Linux. Libreoffice…and that’s about it. Covers at least the most important stuff. I don’t know a European or Foss ERP/CRM. What about creative cloud from adobe? Gimp is fine, but just a part. Etc etc.
Before we run into details, the major point was: even though MS sucks, it’s really not THE epitome of corporate evil. They all are, together. And any company that roots itself into digital slavery to the bigger overlords is hanging at their mercy.
yeah i certainly thought about linux in there, but im just not sure it’s viable for company-wide use… again, users are not all technical and “forcing” a platform on them that has a kinda hodge-podge of user experiences and isn’t something they’re used to think wouldn’t end well
i do think however that the EU has the resources to invest into a really great linux workstation platform to compete with windows: an easy SSO system to replace AD (heck perhaps some cool AF system that uses OAuth so you can use existing web SSO?!), management like group policy, easy interfaces for things like network file sharing, fleet management, etc and design a really slick user experience
it could be amazing, but users are stubborn so it would have to be amazing i think
for creative cloud, my default is to say the affinity suite (no idea where they’re based, but they’re at least pay once and get a download: subscriptions can’t cut them off so less risk), but it’s mac and windows only… perhaps the EU could do an apple and have them onboard as a “launch partner” with their new cool linux-based distribution
gimp is getting better, but really i don’t think it’s there yet - especially the UI. inkscape is the same but further behind, and i don’t event know of an alternative to indesign
davinci resolve is a great alternative to premiere and after effects, but afaik blackmagic is US-based… it does run in linux though so supports this EU-OS. the free version also has just a download and AFAIK no dial-home, and their paid version is pay once and download a package and you’re good to go … can’t remember how the license works? it might dial home to validate, or it might just be an algorithmic key… even most professionals wouldn’t need the pro version though TBH (unless you’re exporting 8K or doing some intense effects and AI filtering/fixes etc)
i think in general my critique of a lot of the FOSS alternatives are all kinda the same: they lack polish and ease of use, which isn’t super difficult to fix… they have great bones, and with a concerted effort from entities not looking solely for direct profit i think they could really get off the ground as real alternatives… i’m just not sure for regular users they’d accept them as they are right now (but wouldn’t it be so cool for the EU to spin off a whole distro with clean branding, management, interfaces, and a FOSS productivity and creative suite that was branded, skinned, and followed well thought out design patterns)
Valid points…as for the user itself, they’d adapt. They’d moan and struggle, but who cares. They still get paid and it’s for the greater good.
And yeah, the EU should really do their own OS. But OK, replacing win is simple, replacing their servers/ad ain’t. They do excel, hard to deny that. I got every MS-cert under the roof, so I know their shit (not a fanboy tho).
Still, my initial argument stands. They might be horrible and #1 in volume. But don’t forget google or cloudflare. You’d still be using those, even if you completely ditch MS. And you might not even know.
