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Putin Orders Russian Move To GNU/Linux
Glyn Moody writes "Vladimir Putin has signed an order calling for Russian federal authorities to move to GNU/Linux, and for the creation of 'a single repository of free software used in the federal bodies of executive power.' There have been a number of Russian projects to roll out free software, notably in the educational sector, but none so far has really taken off. With the backing of Putin, could this be the breakthrough free software has been waiting for?"
In Soviet Russia, Putin Linux you.
An old-timer with old-timey ideas.
Linux really IS communist!
But this would indicate Linux is post-communist kleptocratic...
"I don't care about the Constitution!" --Bill O'Reilly, November 17, 2009
With the backing of Putin, could this be the breakthrough free software has been waiting for?
I am pretty sure that Putin don't care about the freedom part of free software
Why is that? Putin is acting on behalf of the government who are primarily users, not developers of software they hope to sell. The 'freedom" part is freedom for him, and brings real benefits to him and his, like the ability to gain free code contributions from others around the world and the ability to comparison shop when looking at vendors for support and the like. Any code generated by the government will likely cost less in the long run if they contribute it back rather than maintaining a fork.
So really, while we may not see a pile of code contributions as a result of this, more adoption means more motivation to support it for hardware vendors and more motivation for application developers and tool creators to target it. And really, lack of momentum and market share is one of the biggest problems for OSS, a chicken and egg scenario.
You've been spending way too much time in a French cave.
The Russians left Communism behind around 1991 and have managed to leap past the United States to Mafioso Capitalism. Though the U.S. is trying hard to catch up.
Did Putin really say "GNU/Linux" or just Linux?
Coder's Stone: The programming language quick ref for iPad
Pretty sure Stuxnet has got his attention. I assure you that the Free part is relevant, because the Open thing is part of the Free thing, and that means peer-reviewed software. Sure, you could still do something like Stuxnet in a Linux environment, but hopefully people are thinking about all kinds of security and not just precisely the same type of breach that is in the news.
If Putin asked me (heh heh) how he could enhance the security of computing in Russia, I'd certainly suggest Linux, maybe even GNU/Linux.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
For Putin, there are likely two draws to FOSS: 1. using it means money likely isn't being shipped to Western software companies leaving more for in-country software development, and 2. his mafia geeks in the FSB, the genetic spawn of the KGB, can check for any sneaky backdoors.
I don't see the adoption of something by a dictator as a great endorsement.
Endorsement? Who cares about endorsement? What matters is results.
If the Russian government moves to F/OSS, that will be good for F/OSS, just like IBM making F/OSS an integral part of its business plan has been. It doesn't mean they're good guys. They don't have to be. Dictatorial governments and giant corporations alike are pretty much always evil. Sometimes they do good as a side effect. When that happens, we should take advantage of it. "No permanent allies, only permanent interests."
Leave the worrying about "endorsements" to people buying overpriced athletic shoes.
The correlation between ignorance of statistics and using "correlation is not causation" as an argument is close to 1.
It used four zero day vulnerabilities in Windows and the Siemens PLC's (that controls the VFDs) control interface runs on Windows.
He's probably just playing hardball with Microsoft for a discount. You may notice that every time some country announces that it's moving to Linux, they inevitably announce, 3 months later, that they changed their mind and are sticking with Microsoft. Turns out if you're a country and you want a huge discount on Microsoft products, you just announce you're moving to Linux.
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
Guys, stop saying bullsh*t, for the sake of Universe... Use Google Translation and read Putin's order CAREFULLY, if you can not speak Russian! :( He orders to contribute and keep it all opened. If you missing that from the document, then problem is your personal, but stop spreading FUD, especially when entire country is serious ditching M$ away. Currently M$ is a god in Russia, does whatever they like and that's what government hates the most. Especially, if they never built their binaries of the OS from their audited code by themselves. How you can be so sure there are no backdoors planted to the Windows and how you can be so sure that the source code version that was offered for government review matches actual binaries deployed?