Escaping Colonialism (or 'Hegemony') Requires Abandoning GAFAM, Microsoft in Particular
New:
Now that "Mozambique marks 50 years of independence from Portuguese colonial rule" and considering recent observations about GNU/Linux adoption there, let's take a quick look at Mozambique's neighbours.
"Can this observation be associated with Software Freedom in any way," a reader asked, "perhaps via the theme of (digital) sovereignty? I think there can be many opportunities to keep addressing the theme of digital sovereignty around these days."
Consider Zimbabwe. Notice how Windows fell to new lows this month:
That's Zimbabwe and it looks similar in South Africa.
It would of course be misguided so say that only southern African nations stand to gain from abandoning Microsoft.
Consider this new article and that old link from Mitchel Lewis (formerly Microsoft) "about Microsoft being a defense liability for the US itself," as a reader put it, recalling all sorts of past articles on the topic [1, 2].
It's time to recognise that Windows TCO includes the risk of politically- and/or commercially-motivated sabotage/interference, e.g. judges being cut off from their own computing.
Europe is already in the process of abandoning Microsoft (that contributes to the mass layoffs), but will the US follow? Independence Day is coming soon. 2 days earlier many Microsoft employees will be handed a pink slip. The plans are already being finalised this week, hence the leaks to the press. █