The story of the infamous “free” laptops, with which Minister Emilija Stojmenova Duh became a laughingstock of the whole country, and which, in a unique way, “unified” both right and left voters, is taking on a new dimension. One of the mythological laptops was given to our reader, and he wrote a review.
The reader starts by saying that his family is one of the “lucky” recipients of the infamous computer, which was given to them by the government or the Ministry of Digital Transformation, headed by Stojmenova Duh.
“Despite all the fuss about the specifications and hardware weakness of the computers, my wife and I still applied for the allotment of the computer. Given our family income, it would certainly come in handy – we are a family with three children,” a reader said in the introduction.
And they indeed received one.
Installing software is a nightmare
“My wife took it out of the box, switched it on and quickly switched it off when she was greeted by a locked Linux screen.” The reader notes that, compared to the established operating systems (Windows/PC and OSx/Apple), Linux remains a stranger to widespread use – and he was, therefore, very surprised by the choice of operating system.
As the reader says, Linux is similar to Windows or OSx in its basic approach via the graphic interface (desktop with icons, click-double-click on icons, use of options when right-clicking on an icon, etc.), but that’s where the similarities end for the average user.
“Installing programs can be a nightmare or “mission impossible” for those unfamiliar with the Linux environment, and while the availability of software is wide at first glance, most of the more widely used programs are severely limited or, in most cases, non-existent for the Linux environment (Adobe suite, Microsoft Office suite, AutoCad, etc.),” the reader began to describe his interface woes.
Linux is almost completely incompatible with known operating systems
According to him, the available software is almost completely incompatible with Windows or OSx. It is, therefore, not surprising that Linux does not account for a noteworthy share of computer users worldwide – it is just under 4 percent. For OSx/Apple, it is around 15 percent, and for Windows, it is around 75 percent. The remaining 6 percent is distributed among the lesser-known operating systems.
From this, the reader concludes that the computer received is certainly not intended for widespread use. The only thing that is not a problem in a Linux environment is web browsing – browsers for Linux exist in familiar forms (Mozilla, Opera, Chrome, etc.). So, you can use web services or cloud services. However, installing plug-ins or, God forbid, the necessary additional software is unfeasible – most major software manufacturers do not offer support for using programs in the context of the Linux operating system, warns the reader.
He wanted to install Windows – but then came a nasty surprise
Being somewhat IT-savvy, the reader wanted to install the Windows operating system he had bought on his computer, but then he got an unpleasant surprise in connection with the BIOS.
When a computer is started, the first thing that is done is to load the computer’s BIOS (basic programming protocol – this allows the basic hardware parameters to be set and the operating system to be loaded). The BIOS is also used to set the computer’s recognition or communication protocol with the disk, where the operating system and software are stored. Linux and the Windows operating system do not use the same protocol. The BIOS on the received computer is locked at the factory and only allows the use of Linux. Installation of the Windows operating system is therefore impossible. In summary: For the average user, this computer is almost completely useless, or its usefulness is severely limited.
The Minister donated a useless computer
The most disturbing thing, in the reader’s opinion, is the fact that the state has donated useless computers for the purpose of spreading computer literacy and assistance. In the reader’s opinion, the specifications of the computer are not dramatically bad if one wanted to use it for office or schoolwork, or at home.
“But a pre-configured Linux computer is, to the average user, just a coaster for flowers or, at best, a tool for surfing the web,” concludes the reader describing his incredible experience with the Ministry of Digital Transformation’s “free” computers.
Was it an arranged deal?
After such a confession, where we learn that it is not even possible to install Windows on computers, it is worth asking how someone at the Ministry of Digital Transformation thought it worth paying more than 6 million euros for computers that are locked to an operating system that ordinary users have never used and will never use. The Linux system is aimed at people who are familiar with PCs or who use them professionally: administrators, programmers, CMC machine operators, etc. It is not for schoolchildren from poor families who have been used to the Windows operating system and programming environment since they were very young (like all PC users).
There are only two real possibilities here: either the Ministry (and the government) are complete IT illiterates who do not understand that Linux is inaccessible and unknown to ordinary users, or this was a pre-arranged deal with hardware suppliers who had to “get rid” of computers that would be practically impossible to use, as soon as possible. No ordinary user is going to buy a Linux-locked laptop – especially not a low-end one.
The claim by some sources who have reported to our editorial board that this was a deal between hardware suppliers and the Ministry or the government, where, in reality, it was all about siphoning public money into private pockets, and the laptops were just a convenient excuse, is becoming more and more plausible.
I. K.
