
Russian parliament asks to prohibit Windows 10 use in state organizations - ommunist
https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A//top.rbc.ru/politics/21/08/2015/55d7022b9a79472a7602e4e5
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mark_l_watson
Probably a smart thing to do.

For security reasons, it seems like country's using secure open source
software that they can audit makes a lot of sense.

I like Microsoft and Apple but who knows what pressure might be applied to
them to back doors computers shipped to specific countries.

~~~
prodmerc
Bet you wouldn't be downvoted if it was any other country :-).

I don't like the Russian government, but they have a point - Windows 10
borders on 'insane' when it comes to the user data it shares "anonymously".
Plus it helps the open source communities...

Then again, I don't trust Android and Google Docs apps that want access to my
files, information, contacts, microphone, and more...

~~~
mark_l_watson
I use an Android Note 4, but I don't install many apps. I use a web browser
instead for Facebook, Twitter, and many other sites instead of installing
apps. I do this because of the permissions many apps require, even though they
don't need some permissions to support their functionality.

~~~
prodmerc
I'm also surprised at how many apps need to run in the background. Notepads,
music players, file explorers, an expense manager - why would they need to run
all the time if I don't even use them and haven't set up any syncing.

Not to mention that Google Play Services is draining my battery like crazy by
using GPS and keeping the CPU awake for way too long...

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9mit3t2m9h9a
Technically, it is not that the parliament as an organisation asks to prohibit
Windows 10.

It is only coming from a representative of one minority fraction «Just Russia»
(generally considered fully and completely loyal to government (as opposed to
mostly loyal Liberal-Democrats, who are not liberal democrats in any Western
meaning, and Communists), but even more populist than the government pseudo-
party United Russia). He is a deputy speaker (deputy chairman) for parliament;
each minority fraction has got a deputy speaker position. So this plea may be
ignored. Or it could be used as a trigger to issue arbitrary regulations on
arbitrary possibly unrelated topic.

If there is a political decision to move to open-source tools (this is a big
if), it will be actually not that hard to implement (if we are speaking about
office use). Sensible options for use in government organisations include ALT
Linux (an RPM-based independent distribution developed mostly in Russia which
managed to obtain a few Russia-specific certifications) and MSVS (Mobile
System Of Armed Forces; think CentOS with some special access control tools).

Threats of forbidding Microsoft Windows use in some settings (previous
attempts, for example, promoted allowing training and support expenses but
forbidding licensing expenses in school budgets) apparently were previously
used as bargaining tools in Russia.

(Russian is my native language and I live in Russia)

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ZenoArrow
I wonder if they'll continue supporting ReactOS. Would be good to see
increased resources to support its growth.

[https://www.reactos.org/node/946](https://www.reactos.org/node/946)

Looks like jobs are available, so if any C/C++ coders wanted to be paid to
work on an open-source Windows-compatible OS, the opportunities exist...

[https://www.reactos.org/node/785](https://www.reactos.org/node/785)

~~~
dingdingdang
I don't have the C skills necessary but I would love to see ReactOS reach
mature (-enough) state for work use soon: the new, privacy invading, direction
that MS are taking their OS in with Win10 is unacceptable to me and yet my
productivity on Windows in general is so much higher than Linux/OSX (probably
just habit to be honest, I'll soon enough find out unless MS comes out with
different approach to privacy defaults)

~~~
ZenoArrow
I'm in the same boat as you. I definitely won't be switching to Windows 10
with the privacy settings as they are, but I prefer working on Windows over
Linux, mainly because I'm more confident that it won't break in some way (I've
not had the best of luck with Linux, though I've seen it get progressively
better, and I'm glad about the emerging work on Wayland/Mir, I just wish the
audio stack had an overhaul too). Fingers crossed ReactOS will be stable by
the time Windows 7 is no longer supported, either that and bite the bullet and
switch to Linux/BSD.

~~~
raptorjesus
I've been using both Unix and NT since about 1996. I agree with you entirely.

The killer for me is a weird combination of Stockholm syndrome and a seemingly
drug-like addiction to Windows that I just can't shift. One minute I'll be
swearing at the 15th problem of the day that occured on Windows and then spend
all Saturday installing a Linux distribution and killing off my Windows Phone
and Live accounts.

By Sunday it's got Windows back on it and I'm at it like a raving crack addict
again. But I know it's hurting me. I know Linux well and am responsible for a
fair chunk of Linux kit but I always end up with it on Windows again.

Last time: unity won't show file copy dialogs suddenly, duplicity backup won't
work due to a bug in Ubuntu that has been open for over a year, my FortiClient
VPN drops every 5 minutes, I can't find a RDP client (so I can still connect
to my day job) that works properly.

Argh just kills me this. I want to do something else for a living now.

~~~
TsiCClawOfLight
A lot of friends have these problems at University. Turns out the common
factor is Ubuntu. After I tell them to install Debian and enable non-free
sources, they never have weird bugs again.

~~~
osense
I sometimes get this feeling that Ubuntu is giving Linux a bad name, with all
the weird stuff that happens (or unexpectedly fails to happen) when running
it. Of course, I only have anecdotal evidence here...

I've switched to Arch about a year ago and sure, the installation was a bit
painful, but after that, I don't know... it just works (including the switch
to the new 4.x kernel, but I'm given to understand that the jump was fairly
minor). Oh, and Plasma 5 is pretty :)

I had Debian for a while, but the outdated packages were killing me (and I was
on testing). Other than that, I couldn't really complain.

~~~
raptorjesus
Agreed. I've run the last two LTS releases on our ops servers and it has been
a pain in the arse to be honest.

I would like to have a bash at Arch but I can't be bothered to install it and
it doesn't have a great security reputation.

I'm not too fussed about up to date packages but a recent Python 3 would be
nice.

~~~
ZenoArrow
Have you considered trying out CentOS on those ops servers? There's plenty of
support and documentation online. Package versions do tend to lag a bit, but I
believe Python 3 is available (EDIT: It is...
[http://sopel.chat/python3-centos7.html](http://sopel.chat/python3-centos7.html)
).

~~~
raptorjesus
Yeah we've got a number of CentOS 5 boxes and a CentOS 6 proxy. They are rock
solid but terribly out of date.

Python 3 is a compile it yourself on centos I understand.

~~~
dingdingdang
Interesting, I'm also servicing an ailing CentOS 5 server; un-upgradeable and
a pain: currently having to migrate the core application onto a new server,
haven't had issues with Ubuntu LTS for server usage in the past so that's what
I'm going for but the discussion here makes me want to go with Debian instead
next time!

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jdimov9
Why ANY government would use closed-source US software has always been beyond
me. The only explanation I can think of is utter ignorance. Not even bribery
explains it (which I know is a BIG part of it, but still makes zero sense from
national security perspective).

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zkhalique
I commend Russians for being pretty savvy about operating systems these days.
Building their own, sponsoring Linux variants, and now this. I can see how
Microsoft's OS can be seen as a USA trojan horse for other countries, and I
won't be surprised if others (China) follow suit. Even as other US companies
tout increased security practices (Apple Apple)

~~~
sremani
This is not new, whether it is RedFlag Linux in China and Munich bending over
backwards trying to accommodate Linux etc. There is a dose of envy about US
corporations around the world. Remember China did some kind of quasi ban on
Windows 8 ? Time to time, there is a bureaucratic circle jerk, which becomes
headline news but just the reality of the world hits.. every one forgets and
moves on.

~~~
zkhalique
Windows 10 is much more egregious that Windows 8

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farresito
Doesn't surprise me, honestly. The USA has gotten a fairly bad reputation the
past two years after Snowden revealed all that. Didn't they start using
Russian made microprocessors? Makes sense that they start banning Windows 10.
Companies like Microsoft are at the mercy of the American government, at least
up to a certain extent. It's sad, but that's how it works.

~~~
btgeekboy
Perhaps it's sad, but maybe it's the catalyst for change we need. Microsoft
can lose a few individuals as customers and not blink an eye. Losing
significant quantities of foreign governments as customers due to US
government policies and actions may not go over so well with their bottom
line.

~~~
1971genocide
The silver lining in all this is that there would be increased demand for
programmers of all sorts !

Paradoxically mistrust between government helps money to flow in science.

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informatimago
Totally agree.

I'd even move to allow importing software and hardware (firmware) only under
the condition that the sources be released, audited by the importing country,
validated and recompiled (with validated compilers) by the importing country.

I can see only advantages to such a scheme:

1- promotes free(dom) software / open source,

2- improves security by forced auditing,

3- by increasing the cost of importing software, promote local production of
software, therefore

4- reduce unemployment,

5- this would detect bad firmware (toyota, jeep), before it can be used in
deadly applications.

etc.

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gpvos
Maybe this will be the year of Linux on the desktop.

~~~
k__
Hopefully.

But it seems they'd rather push ReactOS.

~~~
superskierpat
Linux user here, but I'm still pretty glad to see an open source version of
windows being supported, even if it the russian government.

~~~
k__
Yes.

AFAIK ReactOS works together with Wine, so it could probably improve the
integration of Windows apps in Linux.

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keithpeter
Isn't the enterprise/managed version of Windows 10 different? I thought that
the larger organisations to manage their own updates (WUSUS?) and that there
would not be the need to process information on Microsoft's servers?

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Animats
Well, they're not wrong to do that.

Note that Medvedev is behind this. He's Putin's alternate; when Putin hit his
term limit, Medvedev ran for Premier and won, then deferred all decisions to
Putin. So this is official policy, not some minor Duma member.

Windows 10 may be the worst product change since New Coke.

~~~
9mit3t2m9h9a
Medvedev has not yet said anything on this topic.

He is the receiver of the plea by deputy speaker (deputy chairman) of
parliament representing «Just Russia» (a minority ultra-loyal fraction in
parliament).

By now the voices for banning or restricting Windows 10 are from Levichev
(«Just Russia») and some defense lawyers.

The receivers (not authors) of such petitions are currently Medvedev (current
prime minister and former president), supreme state prosecution/oversight
office (has some similarities and some differences with attorney general and
his staff) and communication oversight agency (the agency responsible, among
other things, for allocating radio frequencies and for keeping the internet
censorship blocklist).

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throwawayaway
With FASHIONCLEFT being public knowledge, I'm surprised there's any
controversy about this:

[https://www.eff.org/document/20150117-spiegel-technical-
desc...](https://www.eff.org/document/20150117-spiegel-technical-description-
fashioncleft-protocol)

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a3n
I would hope that the US government would ban Windows 10 on government
computers.

