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Vive la resistance!

The French have long been resistant to the idea of American cultural imperalism. Now, they are resisting American technological imperialism as well. Not only has France worked on a homegrown search engine to counter Google’s ubiquity, the government is also casting off the cloak of Microsoft. The French parliament is following the example of its ...

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605915_Linux5.jpg
605915_Linux5.jpg

The French have long been resistant to the idea of American cultural imperalism. Now, they are resisting American technological imperialism as well. Not only has France worked on a homegrown search engine to counter Google's ubiquity, the government is also casting off the cloak of Microsoft. The French parliament is following the example of its gendarmes and its Ministry of Culture and Communication by ditching Microsoft Windows for its computers' operating systems in favor of open source platform Linux. My tech geek friends have informed me that this is a smart move, and not just because they hate Microsoft. It will save France cash (money that would otherwise go to Microsoft's coffers for Windows licensing fees), and Linux is a more stable platform than Windows (which is prone to crashing, as we all know from personal experience). Security is also better, making it perfect for a government concerned about protecting privacy.

The French have long been resistant to the idea of American cultural imperalism. Now, they are resisting American technological imperialism as well. Not only has France worked on a homegrown search engine to counter Google’s ubiquity, the government is also casting off the cloak of Microsoft. The French parliament is following the example of its gendarmes and its Ministry of Culture and Communication by ditching Microsoft Windows for its computers’ operating systems in favor of open source platform Linux. My tech geek friends have informed me that this is a smart move, and not just because they hate Microsoft. It will save France cash (money that would otherwise go to Microsoft’s coffers for Windows licensing fees), and Linux is a more stable platform than Windows (which is prone to crashing, as we all know from personal experience). Security is also better, making it perfect for a government concerned about protecting privacy.

Christine Y. Chen is a senior editor at Foreign Policy.
Tags: Europe, France, Science and Technology

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