Discussion
Swiss authorities want to reduce dependency on Microsoft
givemeethekeys: After so many years of EU countries talking, how much has Microsoft's top and bottom line been affected?
tarrant300: Switzerland is not in the EU. That said, if their goal is to get off US big-tech, I feel they're left with Apple for hardware and Google for software, realistically.
londons_explore: Even North Korea has it's own OS, network and application suite...Switzerland could totally be fully computer-independant if they wanted to be.
lpcvoid: What? There's loads of hardware vendors out there. And I'd throw in Linux over google and apple.
pojntfx: For anyone interested in the current state of things in Switzerland, there is this handy map of which Swiss municipalities are dependent on Microsoft/the US right now: https://mxmap.ch/
karmakurtisaani: Simply replacing Excel will be a massive challenge.I root for it, but it will be difficult.
rolph: [delayed]
tahoeskibum: Thirty years after Windows 95? How about focusing on AI or Starlink to reduce dependence now?
Cider9986: Go for it, I'd say. Switzerland is a fascinating country, they lead in many areas. Zermatt, for example is a wonderful town with no cars.
bdangubic: starlink in switzerland is like trying to sell hershey to ferrero :)
jandrewrogers: Don't we all.
stynbeck: Yes we do
aucisson_masque: Lol, starlink in Switzerland ?They got the best fiber and the cheapest. They'd laugh at starlink.
JumpCrisscross: > starlink in Switzerland ?I know a lot of people with Starlink in Schweiz. It's a mountainous country with a strong tradition of outdoorsmanship. From a military preparedness perspective, you're not guiding munitions with terrestrial fibre.
sisve: We move slow. But the clima for change is here now, it's been brewing for a decade or so. Expect Europe to not use more money on US services the next two decade. So with inflation you will really see a significant decline. My 5 cents
drstewart: Europe's population crash is a more likely reason for the decline in usage, especially as they light more money on fire to cover the giant pension holes that are widening each yearWhich OS your bureaucrats use will be the least of your problems
OKRainbowKid: Do you think your comment has any substance beyond expressing your disdain for Europe / the EU? Are you aware that Switzerland is not a member of the EU?
drstewart: Considering I didn't mention the EU once, I'm quite aware of that. I like how you try shoehorn in it on your own to try gotcha me though. Not a great attempt.Are you aware of the crashing population of Europe though?
JumpCrisscross: > Are you aware of the crashing population of Europe though?The EU's population grew in 2024 [1].[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_European_U...
Waterluvian: I feel like Excel is their one true moat. Everything else is a business play, but Excel is the only truly superior tech compared to the alternatives.
embedding-shape: Besides just being everywhere and being ubiquitous (which isn't really a "tech benefit" anyways) what exactly makes Excel "truly superior tech compared to the alternatives"?
Waterluvian: There’s a lot of features. I think the one I would present is the enormously complex backwards compatibility support. Companies run on .xls / .xlsx files even if developers are offended by how they use and share them.I think a lot of “just use Libre Office” arguments are much like “just use Linux.” There’s a deep misunderstanding of what the value is with Excel. Being technically equivalent with features scores very few points.
cwnyth: I've never experienced any compatibility issues with XLS(X) in LibreOffice Calc, and I've been Windows-free for over a decade. Sure, some spreadsheets might have unique functions in it, but I doubt that's the case for the majority over people using Excel.I'd also argue that Excel is holding back businesses. Instead of storing information in CSVs (for R or Python processing) or SQL, people rely on it when they shouldn't. It's not just that developers dislike Excel, it's that using it frequently causes huge errors:https://theconversation.com/the-reinhart-rogoff-error-or-how...
HiPhish: Excel is the most widely used document format, database, software runtime, GUI framework and note taking app. It gives Emacs a run for its money in how much you can abuse and overuse one application.
1over137: Cool map! MX as in mail exchanger. For something as easy (for IT pros at least) as email, that map should be all green!
arcza: Not easy at all.Think about integrating calendars, corporate contacts (from AD), handling RSVP replies said mx server receives and updating the calendar server, securely deal with modern auth (+ legacy krb5 auth, yuk). It's a huge hassle and everything except Exchange only handles 80% of this.Modern expectations now want: web clients (OWA), todo lists, integrated storage (SP/OneDrive), and push notifications to any phone from any vendor.So yeah, the only on prem solution is still Exchange.
esseph: [delayed]
throwfus: Sooner Europeans boycott US companies the better. US is as rogue state as Russia and China
happygoose: not activedirectory as well?
cookiengineer: > LibreOffice CalcMentioning libreoffice as competitor to Excel and Access is like you haven't understood the market, at all.Excel is a cross department business automation database, which can sync/pull/push datasets across filesystems and networks.VBA is the single most used language in Enterprise because it allows to automate pretty much any financial workflow. And more importantly: automated by non-programmers.Libreoffice is made for private users, and that's not the same users that VBA powered office documents have.
