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.
The Chinese government did not specify which Linux versions would replace Windows 10. However, the stock prices of Chinese Linux suppliers, Kylin Software and Tongxin Software Technology (commonly known as UnionTech), immediately jumped.
These companies’ respective operating systems, Kylin OS (no relation to Ubuntu Kylin) and UnionTech OS (UOS), were already positioned as domestic desktop and server replacements for Windows in government, state-owned enterprise, and critical-infrastructure environments.
This change to Linux doesn’t mean that there will be a nationwide ban on all Windows installations in China. Windows Home China 11, a restricted, factory-locked edition that requires you to use only Chinese, is still available.
The transition also doesn’t mean that every government body has been ordered to abandon Microsoft software. The directive’s scope remains undisclosed. Still, the writing is on the wall: China’s future government desktop will be Linux.
If this is the Chinese century does it make it the century of the linux desktop?
Even better than a year! Let’s fuckin’ go!!!
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桌面Linux之年代
For some reason, I thought that China always had a homegrown flavor of Linux. Probably just errantly applied the fact that North Korea has Red Star and thought China was right there beside them. Don’t ask me why. Just did.
Tbf, a socialist state having an Official State Linux Distro is a pretty common thing. Red Star is only really unique in how much surveillance it performs on users.
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They have a few. You’re probably thinking of Red Flag which seems to not be a thing anymore.
Wait. An operational system called Red Star? 🤩🤩🤩🤩
Indeed. North Korea’s OS is called Red Star OS
This change to Linux doesn’t mean that there will be a nationwide ban on all Windows installations in China
one day…I saw a news headline that the Taliban had banned Windows. (It turned out to be banning actual glass windows, because they don’t want women even looking outside their homes.) I remember posting it to a Linux forum with a joke about “at least they’re doing one thing absolutely right”.
China banning Microslop Winblows might be slightly better for optics than the fucking Taliban doing it…
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rubber_chicken joins China in scrapping Windows for Linux
For real, this is such a coincidence. As I wrote about a few times here, I got a Linux laptop, running the aforementioned UOS, in China. I kept putting off making the switch for several months. I wanted to back up some photos from my phone to my computer and figured I could unplug it and use that usb-c port. The file transfer lasted something like a minute before my computer shut down from low battery. That’s all it take for it to drop from 100% to 5% or wherever that’s set. The manufacturer filed for bankruptcy 5 years ago so I doubt a replacement battery is in the cards, so the time to jump to Linux is now.
I found a guide to backing up a Windows machine to a Linux machine on the same network, so I fired up the linux machine, got on the wifi, found the command prompt and pasted in the very first. It’s balking at a sudo because I don’t have root. I search the error message and find out how to get root and . . . I need a WeChat account.
I’ve never gotten a WeChat account. I know it requires the assistance of somebody who has a WeChat account but I never really looked into how big of a deal that is. Apparently people only have a few verification slots per year. Also I’m seeing the possibility of linking a bank card to bypass that verification. Huh, how about that. It didn’t ask me for verification, even without a bank card. OK, I got to scan the QR code on my computer to “request root access.” I wonder where that request went. Well, it’s been a few minutes so I’m thinking China, where it’s 3 AM.
In the meantime, I used a different usb-c port to back up my documents folder to my phone, so I’m not entirely SOL if the Windows machine dies.
I would never install a Linux distro that doesn’t give me root access by default and makes me ask another party for it. It’s my goddamn computer. That’s some RedStarOS BS.
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Genuinely we should start talking about America stealing your data and spying on you every time someone mentions windows (I’m allowed to say this, I’m a windows user)
Install Linux
As soon as valve can get steamOS running on Nvidia I’ll be joining the Linux crew.
No I will not be accepting alternatives. They’re too hard and nobody can convince me otherwise. My steam deck just works, exactly the way I need it to, and that’s what I want for my PC as well. I can also trust that valve will continue to maintain it for a long time.
So, someday hopefully.
Good luck. nVidia drivers are a pain in the ass to deal with on Linux and that’s unlikely to ever change. One of the primary reasons why I ditched my 3080 for a 6900XT a few years ago.
That’ll be the other thing that happens, is someday my PC will break or become obsolete enough that I switch to AMD and then I’ll be good to go. I can’t afford to switch now unfortunately and my 2080s is still kicking ass so it’s gonna be a wait
lol, lmao. Some people do prune themselves down to the rootball.
Not everyone’s hobbies include operating systems unfortunately
It’s not like most distros require more work than windows.
Prostrating yourself before a corporation to avoid any learning is just sad.
Just avoid arch/manjaro/linuxfromscratch (distros for enthusiasts) and install bazzite (“just works” for gaming but harder to change and horribly convoluted package management) or fedora with KDE plasma/cachey (fedora has less configured for gaming out of the box but unless you have strange peripherals or extremely old hardware everything will just work).
Fedora isn’t going anywhere, updating your system and installing software will be easier than windows. Your DE will already include password management, email, notes, chat, keyboard config, display/desktop config, theme management etc. Fedora comes with everything essential already configured.
“I think windows is bad and it’s a shame that it’s difficult to use something else” is prostrating myself before a corporation, got it.
“Just use Crispy Glorpy Distro!” Okay. Except some things don’t work on it. Oh yeah because you should have used Sploot Fart distro dunbass. Okay. Except now some different things don’t work. Oh yeah that’s because you aren’t using Hyperbonkland. Okay. Oh shit wow you installed Hyperbonkland don’t you know the lead dev is a Zionist. No I did not know that how would I. Now what do I use. Oh well now you have to use…
Oh and the whole time half the community is being an absolute asshole to you because how dare you don’t already have the 40 years of apocryphal knowledge that we all have. Like you are right now to me.
It’s endless. I’ve tried before twice in my life. I never got all my shit working on anything except my steam deck, my PC, and a Mac, all of which I did successfully get all my shit working on with minimal effort, and all of which is still working with zero effort. I use my PC for a lot beyond browsing the web and playing games. It’s got external hardware devices galore plugged into it and I need all of that to continue to work so I can enjoy my actual hobbies.
Not everyone’s hobby can be operating systems. I think it’s great that some people’s are, but it’s not mine.
Someday I’ll be able to switch to steamOS or someday Linux hobbyists will figure out how to make it actually accessible but we ain’t there yet because let’s be honest, that’s not really the Linux community’s goal. And that’s okay. Not everything is for everyone.
valve is a corporation that you are prostrating yourself before.
You honestly sound like someone who refuses to use public transport because you have to walk, or go vegan because you’d need to learn to cook.
There’s no helping some people and I think that’s pathetic and hilarious.
also why would you be concerned about some Foss dev’s beliefs but install windows instead. microsoft’s CEO is pure evil and the company actively supports the MIC. Like it’s a double standard invented to excuse yourself.
I’m not prostrating myself before Microsoft for using Windows anymore than I am prostrating myself before Kroger for buying groceries or prostrating myself before Exxon for paying for the natural gas that came pre installed in my home or any of the other things I do to survive in capitalist hell.
If you want to play “who is the Most Pure Leftist” go ahead, you’ll probably win by whatever rules you invent to define that I guess. You know literally nothing about me other than that I don’t have time to stay up to date on your specific hobby, and that’s automatically enough for you to make a bunch of completely incorrect assumptions about me that are unrelated to your hobby.
And then, you wonder why folks like me don’t really feel like investing the time to learning your hobby. I suppose it’s a mystery. Probably unsolvable! Better just come out swinging without spending a single second considering another human’s perspective.
I don’t understand all the hate folks like you have, by default, for people you don’t know. It must be sad and isolating and I hope someday you can approach people with kindness instead of vitriol.
I don’t hate you, I think you’re funny and pathetic. Live with something shit and be vulnerable to corporate whims if it pleases you to do so.
People sitting around waiting for someone else to save them are a joke. If your threshold for improving your own circumstances is “someone else must make it so there is zero friction” then you exist to be exploited by cruel people.
I am not a hobbiest of my computer, anymore than I am a hobbiest of my jeans because I can mend them or my kitchen knives because I can sharpen them. The threshold for using a linux computer is pressing install and being a little flexible as you adjust.
The era of Linux has come
To be fair Windows is awful now if you use it it’s Microsofts computer not yours.
I just accidentally read it as “China joins Europe” and ignored the rest of the headline
china is part of nato now
ChiNATO is my OTP
Guessing your first reaction was
The dominance of Microsoft Windows is the greatest damnation of The Free Market™ the world has seen thus far.
Years of Linux
Was China using Windows?
Even if they trust Microsoft on the end of the day private american companies have to knee for US gov.
The only thing that astounds me more than countries that do trust Amerikkka yelling about software sovereignty and spending resources maintaining an Official State Linux Distro, is countries that don’t trust Amerikkka using Microslop Winblows for government purposes.
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requires you to use only Chinese
lol suuuuuuuure it does.
Possible explanation via reddit thread:
I heard that starting with win8 Microsoft made a chinese language only version that was basically free. It was designed to avoid the rampant bootleg situation that was common back in the day. 叉P (ghostXP) was still ubiquitous even in 2008. I guess seeing that people were either going to pirate or switch to another OS, Microsoft decided to keep customers legit loyal and locked in with a nearly free version of Windows. But to make sure that it was useless outside of China they locked it language to mainland Chinese. It’s called Windows China home edition, or something like that.
that makes a lot more sense
It probably only has the Chinese language pack installed per some agreement with Microsoft or something like that.
Yep. Because the cost is negotiated with the government, Microsoft stipulates that only the Chinese language pack can be installed.
Microsoft doesn’t want users in other countries to be able to buy a super cheap windows key from the Chinese market and use the OS. They want to sell you a key for way more money. It’s manufacturer region locking to protect their precious profit margins.
