The Dutch Government Is Building Its Own Windows #microsoft #programming #security
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Author: Better Stack · Watch on YouTube
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Original language: English
Original video: The Dutch Government Is Building Its Own Windows #microsoft #programming #security · Channel: Better Stack · 01:32 · Watch on YouTube
Topics: Cybersecurity and software security, AI governance and regulation, Open source and software ecosystems
Summary
Section titled “Summary”After the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor lost access to Microsoft services following US sanctions, the Dutch government decided to build an independent alternative to Windows and Office. The project, called Daywo, is a digital autonomous work environment for government that spans operating systems, office software, and cloud services. It uses NixOS, whose immutable, signed packages make deployments easier to reproduce across many computers. Municipal trials are underway, with the first stable release expected by the end of 2027. The video argues that vendor lock-in is about who can switch off critical systems, not just software costs.
Key points
Section titled “Key points”- US sanctions on the International Criminal Court were followed by its chief prosecutor losing access to Microsoft services, including email.
- The Dutch government wants to avoid relying on a foreign country that could switch off critical systems.
- Daywo is a government-focused digital autonomous work environment.
- The project covers the operating system, office software, and cloud services.
- Three government IT providers are building Daywo, overseen by the Ministry of Interior.
- Daywo is based on NixOS, where packages live in separate directories and are immutable and signed.
- NixOS makes configurations easier to reproduce across many machines; up to 90% of a configuration has been suggested as reusable between deployments.
- NixOS can run on computers that Windows 11 would refuse.
- Eight municipalities are currently running trials, and the first stable release is expected by the end of 2027.
Chapters
Section titled “Chapters”| Start | Chapter | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00 | Why the Dutch government wants an alternative | The ICC prosecutor’s loss of Microsoft access after US sanctions prompts the Dutch government to seek independence from foreign control of critical systems. |
| 00:30 | Introducing Daywo and its NixOS foundation | The video describes Daywo’s government-wide scope, its providers, and why the project chose NixOS. |
| 01:01 | Reproducible deployments and the trials | NixOS’s reproducibility, ongoing municipal trials, and the expected 2027 stable release illustrate the project’s approach to avoiding lock-in. |
Quotes
Section titled “Quotes”This is a story about what vendor lock-in really means and it’s not about pricing. — 00:00
The result of this is called Daywo. — 00:30
The contents are immutable and signed. — 01:01
So lock-in isn’t just about what your software costs, it’s about who has the power to turn it off. — 01:01
Concepts and entities
Section titled “Concepts and entities”Daywo, NixOS, Nix, Microsoft, Tribunal Penal Internacional, Windows 11
Full transcript (original language)
Section titled “Full transcript (original language)”00:00 The US sanctioned a court and its chief prosecutor lost access to their Microsoft email. Now the Dutch government is building its own replacement for Windows and Office on NixOS. This is a story about what vendor lock-in really means and it’s not about pricing. The US imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court in The Hague and because of that the court’s chief prosecutor lost access to Microsoft services including email. So the Dutch government decided it never wanted to be in the position again where
00:30 a foreign country could switch off its critical systems. The result of this is called Daywo. That’s the digital autonomous work environment and it’s for government. It covers everything from the operating system to office software to cloud services. Three government IT providers are building it and the Ministry of Interior is overseeing the whole thing. But here’s the crazy part. Why NixOS of all Linux distros? With the Nix package manager every package lives in its own directory. The contents are
01:01 immutable and signed. That makes the setup really easy to reproduce across a lot of machines. It’s been suggested that up to 90% of a configuration can carry over from one deployment to the next. And NixOS even runs on computers that Windows 11 would refuse. Eight municipalities are running trials right now and the first stable release is expected by the end of 2027. So lock-in isn’t just about what your software costs, it’s about who has the power to turn it off. If you want more stories like this from where tech and policy
01:32 collide, be sure to subscribe to the Better Stack channel.