ghostface@lemmy.world 10 months ago
This was proposed once before with Germany going open source. They eventually went back.
I hope this is different, would love some nation state backing of FOSS
ghostface@lemmy.world 10 months ago
This was proposed once before with Germany going open source. They eventually went back.
I hope this is different, would love some nation state backing of FOSS
jesterraiin@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Germany’s attempt at switching to Linux is a prime example of bad management, wrong decisions and, well, idiocy.
If memory serves: they chose Debian, instead of Ubuntu and didn’t do enough research concerning hardware compatibility. When they were already in progress it turned out they had craploads of office hardware like scanners, printers and such, that weren’t working under Debian.
Hazdaz@lemmy.world 10 months ago
But that should be a lesson to people as to why going Linux is foolhardy.
If the Germany government, with all its money and resources and knowledge, failed at switching (or staying switched), then why the bloody hell should an individual or business? I think the Germans have a well deserved reputation for being smart and tech savvy, so if they can’t do it, then why should some random individual out there bother trying? And blaming it on the distro is ridiculous. I have zero interest in Linux, but even I’ve heard of Debian (as well as Ubuntu and others), so there is no excuse why such a well known distro be incapable of handling what the Germans might have wanted.
GigglyBobble@kbin.social 10 months ago
As a German: LOL
carushli@lemmy.sdf.org 10 months ago
Also this…
Sounds like someone who has not visited Germany.
Hazdaz@lemmy.world 10 months ago
As an engineer, it irks to no end hearing marketers say “German engineering” as if it is some kind of superpower that makes that particular product automatically better, but I’m not going to take anything away from the German people. I’d give them a lot of faith that they would choose the most logical, best solution.
jesterraiin@lemmy.world 10 months ago
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astra_Linux
The choice of a distro makes huge - crucial - difference. It dictates the possibilities, limitations and future evolution of every ecosystem it’s supposed to support.
Wrong choice = a disaster.
Hazdaz@lemmy.world 10 months ago
That’s absurd. So installing a distro as a n00b and you happen to pick one because you’ve heard of it before only to find out it’s not the one you should have used. That’s not some obscure one that no one’s heard either.
You understand how frustrating that can be for a new user, right? I see all the Linux people have downvoted the hell out of me, and that’s fine, but Linux has a massive user-friendliness issue if you seemingly have to pick the right one, or your fucked. I’m sure the Germans didn’t take that selection lightly, and now someone is claiming that it’s because of that choice that the switch over failed.
Can this OS be any more user UNfriendly? It’s to the point of being user-hostile.
GentooPhysicist@lemmy.world 10 months ago
You have heard about Debian because it’s a really good distro that has wide usage (especially in the server space). It’s however a bad distro to install on PCs that are to be used by office workers who aren’t necessarily familiar with it, and whoever advised the government should’ve known that Debian is picky about hardware compatability.
It was truly a baffling decision to go for Debian in this instance.
raspberriesareyummy@lemmy.world 10 months ago
why would you think debian to be a bad distro for office workspaces? genuinely curious, as someone who uses debian for a daily driver for 10+ years
bleistift2@feddit.de 10 months ago
This is just wrong. Well, they might have the reputation, but let me tell you: Every aspect of German governance relies on fax machines and paper forms. You can hardly do anything online, and when you can, it’s usually not at all easy to use.
The latest thing they tried was electronic doctor’s notes. (In Germany, when you’re sick, you go to a doctor and let him write a note that you can’t work. You still get paid for your sick leave if you bring a doctor’s note.) Two months ago my colleage got ill and it took 8 weeks to have the deducted hours added again.
sndrtj@feddit.nl 10 months ago
German bureaucracy is notoriously obtuse, inflexible and old-fashioned. Think Little Britain’s “Computer says no”, but then on a countrywide scale.
raspberriesareyummy@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Got a source other than “Germany” wanted to switch to Linux? The only thing I am aware of is the city of Munich switching for a couple of years, which went fine, but then a new mayor from the conservative shitheads who has about as much clue of technology as a towel probably rolled it all back to Windows.
What is “Debian, instead of Ubuntu” supposed to imply? Ubuntu is a piece of shit ever since canonical ramped up the enshittification, first with desktop search expressions being default-forwarded to canonical servers, and then with snap repositories under control of the corporation.
jesterraiin@lemmy.world 10 months ago
That we’re discussing the topic older than a decade ago, when things were wildly different to how they are now.
I don’t store bookmarks for that old events. Feel free to consult Google for that…
govtech.com/…/german-government-goes-linux.html
raspberriesareyummy@lemmy.world 10 months ago
wow - 2002ish - okay, that really went by me at the time, I was still running on Windows (2000) myself back then, maybe that’s why. Indeed - back then, it was a wholly different story about HW support. Thanks for the link!
FidiFadi@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Debian 12 out for less than three months and people imagine that stable Debian was good with hardware :/.