France goes FOSS, opts for Linux instead of Windows for government computers

Au revoir, Microsoft. 

France's government is officially switching from Windows to Linux for its computers in a countrywide shift to exorcise non-EU technology. The direction interministérielle du numérique (DINUM) stated that it will get rid of Windows "in favor of workstations running Linux operating systems" (translated from French). 

The French government is working toward "reducing extra-European digital dependencies," which essentially means it will opt for Euro-centered software, or software that is developed within the Eurozone. DINUM is pushing for government departments to fully transition away from "extra-European digital dependencies" by this fall. 

One country appears directly in the French government's computational cross hairs: America. In a statement, Minister of Action and Public Accounts David Amiel said:

The State can no longer simply note its dependence, it must get out of it. We must desensitize ourselves from American tools and regain control of our digital destiny. We can no longer accept that our data, our infrastructures and our strategic decisions depend on solutions whose rules, prices, developments and risks we have no control over. The transition is underway: our ministries, our operators and our industrial partners are today embarking on an unprecedented approach to map our dependencies and strengthen our digital sovereignty. Digital sovereignty is not an option.

France joins other EU nations, such as Denmark and some parts of Germany, in the shift to free and open-source software (FOSS). While moving desktop PCs to Linux is an obvious decision for this directive, it will be interesting to see what other software France embraces, particularly in key tech sectors (such as mobile phones) that are largely dominated by proprietary software.