China and Russia ditch Windows for Linux sovereignty

Russia and China abandon Windows: Linux first, sovereignty later

Do they plan to drop Windows? Russia and China already have, not out of love for free software. Western blockades pushed Moscow to design a decade-long plan to remove Windows from ministries and consumer PCs. Beijing aims higher: a custom-built OS, starting with the army. Meanwhile, "deglobalization" enters public discourse. The tech sector proves this reality is here.

Russia's Plan: Ditching Windows in a Decade

For nearly 30 years, Russia focused on exporting top-tier arms, leaving a weak flank: hardware and adjacent technologies. The diagnosis is that it lags far behind, perhaps too much. Plans involve boosting semiconductor firms and designing chips to support infrastructure without US or European manufacturers.

The interim step is named: Astra Linux, a Debian-based Unix variant, destined first for the army, then government branches. Forecasts suggest Windows will vanish from Russia within ten years, even on consumer devices.

China's Plan: Technological Independence

China had an advantage: few US services operate there. Yet its strategy is more ambitious. The keyword is independence, specifically technological. Beijing refuses dependency, including on silicon, investing heavily in semiconductors and hardware design, led by the Loongson Godson 3A6000.

In software, the goal is abandoning existing systems antiestéticaring US control over both hardware and code. Transition relies on Linux versions before jumping to a fully proprietary system. Initial applications are military, using custom chips for missiles, drones, planes, submarines, and AI supercomputers. The race belongs to the army, not average users.

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Why Regular Users Don't Switch OS

Here lies the flaw in the narrative. For most, an OS is a means, not an end: used for work, email, gaming, or movies. This explains why Windows remains the de facto standard in businesses and homes—around 95% by some estimates—and why mass migrations fail at the desktop.

Objections are practical, not ideological. Manually editing config files, fixing unrecognized ultrawide monitors, or wrestling with drivers remain common struggles. Linux's internal architecture doesn't help: systemd exceeded a million lines of code, often criticized as a proto-kernel allowing antiestéticature bloat. Additionally, PulseAudio stayed beta for a decade and faces replacement.

Gaming breaks the pattern. Tools like Proton in Steam make Linux gaming viable without hassle, and veteran distributions run smoothly. Conversely, others argue boycotting means demanding open standards and accountability from administrations, not just avoiding products.

The Paradox: Linux Isn't Chinese or Russian Either

The uncomfortable geographic argument suggests Linux poses a problem if the goal is avoiding US dependence, as it was developed with US funding and infrastructure. The conclusion is simple: until Beijing or Moscow create something original, technological independence remains a declaration of intent.

One data point orders everything: Linux is the world's most-used OS, and Microsoft loses its last stronghold, desktops. The EU now considers developing its own services. Bad times for globalization.

Armies leave Windows first. Mortals trinc when someone guarantees no terminal access is needed to print at home.