The Danish Ministry of Digitalization Is Switching to Linux and LibreOffice

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Motivations and Digital Sovereignty

  • Many see the move as primarily political, not financial: reducing dependence on a US vendor that could be leveraged geopolitically (Trump/Greenland, CLOUD Act, ICC email blocking).
  • Commenters frame it as part of a broader European “digital sovereignty” push and welcome any reduction in single‑vendor lock‑in.
  • Some argue this is especially important for Denmark if it ever wants credible leverage or ability to sanction the US in response to future conflicts.

Past Government Migrations and Flip‑Flops

  • Multiple examples are cited where governments moved to Linux/OpenOffice and later reverted to Microsoft (Munich, Lower Saxony, Vienna).
  • One counterexample (French Gendarmerie) is mentioned as a quiet success.
  • Several people suspect such announcements often serve as leverage to negotiate better Microsoft licensing deals.

Operational and User Challenges

  • Biggest practical hurdles identified:
    • Deep dependence on Excel (complex models, “apps in spreadsheets”) and PowerPoint.
    • Outlook/Exchange integration and Active Directory‑centric infrastructure.
    • Mixed Windows/Linux fleets during transition and upskilling IT staff.
  • Some report Linux fleets being easier to manage; others claim Windows still has superior central management tooling.
  • User resistance is expected: many office workers are described as “cargo cult” users who break down when workflows or UIs change.

LibreOffice Quality, UX, and Alternatives

  • Strong disagreement on LibreOffice:
    • Critics: ugly UI, poor performance, instability, weak compatibility (especially for advanced Excel features, charts, Impress vs PowerPoint).
    • Supporters: Writer superior to Word for serious text, good typography and OpenDocument support, calc adequate for most needs, CSV handling better than Excel.
  • Calls for governments to fund UX modernization, online collaborative editing, and bugfixes; mentions of OnlyOffice and the French/German “Suite Numérique” as alternatives.

Cloud, Lock‑In, and Scale of Change

  • Cloud/SaaS is seen as increasing vendor lock‑in and forced upgrade cycles, strengthening the case for open source.
  • Several note Denmark’s heavy Microsoft dependence (O365, Azure, C#) and see this as a small but important pilot; others point out only ~79 employees are affected and view it as symbolic or political posturing.