GNU/Linux in Ukraine: A Look Back and a Glimpse into the Future

Bohdan Kovalchuk

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When Ukraine became independent in 1991, the new country and its people had to learn to navigate an unfamiliar conceptual landscape that included “market economy”, “private entrepreneurship”, “freedom of choice”, and other terms that were, for all intents and purposes, unknown to ordinary Ukrainian citizens because of the country’s decades-long history as a constituent part of the USSR. Inevitably, during a decade of upheaval that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union, “survival of the fittest” in its crudest form became the norm in the business arena – those who were the most ruthless toward their competitors also became the most successful (I would hazard a guess that the “Wild West ‘90’s” became infamous not only throughout the post-Soviet lands but also far and wide beyond Ukraine).

Pioneering private businesses faced an uphill battle not unlike trying to put a man on the Moon by launching him from a giant slingshot: an aspiring businessperson had to bribe bureaucrats at various levels, make arrangements with the criminal underworld to ensure reliable “protection”, and, most importantly, to persuade average citizens reeling from their newfound freedom to spend hard-earned cash on new goods and services that, until recently, were completely unknown to them.

The aforementioned chaos turned out to be a golden opportunity for certain multinational companies that were better positioned to manage the risk of an inhospitable business environment, with the result that in the mid-90’s the phrase “to buy a computer” came to mean only “to buy a computer with pre-installed Windows software”. Such an outcome was advantageous not only for those directly involved in developing the operating system, but also for a variety of Ukrainian manufacturers, both big and small, who installed pirated “Windows” on computers that they then proceeded to sell at a steep premium amid assurances that the software was legitimate and licensed.

It is necessary at this point to take a slight detour and to further explore the impact of the Soviet past on Ukraine in general and on every Ukrainian in particular. The “evil empire” – Soviet Union – left my fellow Ukrainians with a damaging “legacy” of negative personality traits (I guess, none of us would have come out unscathed after living in a totalitarian country). Some of the manifestations of this “Soviet mentality” include naïve willingness to trust any pronouncements of the so-called “experts” as well as exaggerated conservatism that causes resentment of anything new and occasionally leads to phobias.

The passage of time had little positive effect on the proliferation of unlicensed software in Ukraine. Consumers got used to “freebies” and usually prefer to download the very same “Windows” software and other content from illegal pirating websites or torrent-tracker systems that provide detailed instructions on how to hack any computer program to get it to work. An ordinary Ukrainian also is not accustomed to paying for music recordings, as it can be easily downloaded in the mp3 format from multiple sources. Copyrighted movies fare no better, as one can find any film, including new releases, online and watch it without the need to register or obtain an access code. Consequently, an ordinary Ukrainian would be willing to pay for an operating system only in exceptional circumstances: indeed, the thinking goes, why pay when everything and anything is available online, and all one needs to do is download it?

Failure to understand the very concept of free software (e.g., “How can it be any good if it’s free?” or “Unless you get for free something that otherwise costs a lot of money, it must not be worth anything”) as well as the prevalence of Windows and resistance to learning something new are the principal reasons why GNU/Linux had trouble getting a foothold in Ukraine for a while. One’s thinking would typically go as follows: “What is the point of downloading some confusing operating system if I can install the trusty – and also free – Windows which is so familiar after two decades of using it (never mind that it is pirated)? No learning new tricks for this ol’ dog! I do not want to try new things! Those who say that the other operating system is superior in some ways can keep it, as I am very content with what I have, thank you very much!”

Despite this inauspicious beginning, the attitude toward GNU/Linux recently began to change, albeit slowly. The “Revolution of Dignity” – which is how the surge of popular resistance that toppled the corrupt regime of Victor Yanukovych came to be known – was a watershed moment. Following the Revolution of Dignity, Ukraine chose a European vector of development and opened up to new opportunities. People began to change. In the past, hardly anybody bothered to think that not littering or being courteous toward one another was the right thing to do, or that all people were equal, and no one was inferior because of one’s skin color, creed, or sexual orientation, among others. Now, one can see palpable evidence that democratic and liberal values are being internalized and are slowly beginning to shape people’s attitudes.

The same phenomena are evident in changing attitudes toward pirated software. A new generation of Ukrainians, who came of age after the collapse of the USSR and are not burdened by Soviet-era experiences, realizes that intellectual property (such as musical recordings, film, electronic books, etc.) is not a “free” product to be downloaded with impunity. Above all, it is a product of perseverance and hard work of every person who contributed to creating such intellectual property. And hard work must be rewarded by paying for it. At the same time, the young generation is looking to new technologies and to alternative, often better, solutions for their home computer systems. A home computer is precisely where the advantages of a Linux-based operating system are most apparent. Features that make Linux particularly attractive include open and unrestricted distribution of such an operating system and software as well as new, up-to-the-moment technologies that make Linux far superior to a “familiar” Windows operating system.

At this time, GNU/Linux users are still a minority among all computer users in Ukraine: according to internetua.com, only 1.74% of internet users had a Linux-based operating system as of June, 2017, and this number includes computers used for both personal and business purposes. Yet, even such a small number of Linux users is an accomplishment for a young post-Soviet country that only recently truly found itself.

I believe that some of the main factors that impede the spread of GNU/Linux in Ukraine are, first, the continuing prevalence of online piracy and a pervasive stereotype that such software is designed solely for computer geeks because of its complexity, and second, the insufficient number of computer games in the “A” category. In combination with the post-Soviet mentality discussed above, the result is that people have been slow to warm up to Linux.

This said, a small and tightly-knit yet welcoming community of Linux users in Ukraine perseveres and continues to peck away at the old order.  The intuitive nature of the most recent release of Linux Mint is making the software increasingly popular among ordinary users who initially use it as a backup operating system, and later on – as their primary one. If this trend continues, then it will be the Ukrainians themselves who will spearhead further advance of GNU/Linux in Ukraine once they are ready to conquer the fear of the unfamiliar and to master something new and better than the tried-and-true alternative that tethers them to the past.

By Bohdan Kovalchuk.
Kyiv, Ukraine.
 


It's interesting to read an English article about GNU/Linux in Ukraine. What I think should also be mentioned however is that Ukrainian and Russian do not have the ambiguity problem that English has with the word free. I'm still learning Ukrainian, so I tend to speak Russian there. When I talk to average (not IT) people about free software (свободный софтвеа) they thus immediately understand it is not about money.

Also if you walk a little around Ukraine, it will be hard to miss the use of free software. Every Privat Bank office has a system, that clients can use, running Ubuntu. In Crimea at least in 2013 the entertainment system in the trolleybusses was based on Mint. Also in shops there will usually be systems available for sale with GNU/Linux preinstalled.
 
Thanks a lot for the article. You mentioned the exact problems with Linux and free software adoption in Ukraine that I would, given with task to say something on the topic.

I can only add that, because Ukraine is not wery wealthy country, people are often unwilling to pay for the abstract product they can't touch, and that fact that most Ukraininan (perhaps as all ex-Soviet) people are ignorant in questions of security and privacy doesn't help too.

And don't forget that all computer-related education programs for non-IT people are build around MS infrastructure. It is the Microsoft strategy: first let them pirate our software and build their workflow around it; later force them to pay.

Revolution of Dignity, while being important event in our history, in my opinion, is not too relevant to the counter-piracy issues. I would name pressure from American government as a major factor. Ukraine was (is?) among top piracy-friendly countries, and AFAIK, one of conditions to cancel the Jackson-Vanik amendment towards the Ukraine was that our government had to increase visible efforts in war on piracy.

As for me, I see Linux as best option to have more secure and easy-to-support machines. I have Linux on all machines at my office, and I use Linux on several home computers (not all). As for my relatives, I insist that they must have proper Windows licenses to have up-to-date patches and no non-MS backdoors, but I don't have time and passion to make them re-learn how to use different OS.

The source of hope, as I see it, is Ukrainian IT sector - literate and open-minded people that learn from civilized world. Linux saves costs in large deployments, and I regularly see thin clients, workplaces, POSes running Linux. (Also, don't bash me for it, I saw ReactOS in large retail chain!)
 
Thanks a lot for the article. You mentioned the exact problems with Linux and free software adoption in Ukraine that I would, given with task to say something on the topic.

I can only add that, because Ukraine is not wery wealthy country, people are often unwilling to pay for the abstract product they can't touch, and that fact that most Ukraininan (perhaps as all ex-Soviet) people are ignorant in questions of security and privacy doesn't help too.

And don't forget that all computer-related education programs for non-IT people are build around MS infrastructure. It is the Microsoft strategy: first let them pirate our software and build their workflow around it; later force them to pay.

Revolution of Dignity, while being important event in our history, in my opinion, is not too relevant to the counter-piracy issues. I would name pressure from American government as a major factor. Ukraine was (is?) among top piracy-friendly countries, and AFAIK, one of conditions to cancel the Jackson-Vanik amendment towards the Ukraine was that our government had to increase visible efforts in war on piracy.

As for me, I see Linux as best option to have more secure and easy-to-support machines. I have Linux on all machines at my office, and I use Linux on several home computers (not all). As for my relatives, I insist that they must have proper Windows licenses to have up-to-date patches and no non-MS backdoors, but I don't have time and passion to make them re-learn how to use different OS.

The source of hope, as I see it, is Ukrainian IT sector - literate and open-minded people that learn from civilized world. Linux saves costs in large deployments, and I regularly see thin clients, workplaces, POSes running Linux. (Also, don't bash me for it, I saw ReactOS in large retail chain!)
Yeah... BTW, one of the biggest problems with getting rid of MS software is that Windows is INTEGRATED to modern Ukrainian system of education. I mean, they learn how to use Win software in EVERY school, and in EVERY university there r some certain clear requirements for registration, for example, a diploma work. Often these requirements involve the use of Microsoft licensed fonts (like Times New Roman) or something like that. What would u say about that?
 
It's interesting to read an English article about GNU/Linux in Ukraine. What I think should also be mentioned however is that Ukrainian and Russian do not have the ambiguity problem that English has with the word free. I'm still learning Ukrainian, so I tend to speak Russian there. When I talk to average (not IT) people about free software (свободный софтвеа) they thus immediately understand it is not about money.

Also if you walk a little around Ukraine, it will be hard to miss the use of free software. Every Privat Bank office has a system, that clients can use, running Ubuntu. In Crimea at least in 2013 the entertainment system in the trolleybusses was based on Mint. Also in shops there will usually be systems available for sale with GNU/Linux preinstalled.
There r some exceptions. F.E., "PrivatBank" is the largest Linux-using company in Ukraine (there is GNU/Linux installed on over 95% of their workspaces) and they even have their own distrib called "Privat Linux". But still - it's an exception.
 
Yeah... BTW, one of the biggest problems with getting rid of MS software is that Windows is INTEGRATED to modern Ukrainian system of education. I mean, they learn how to use Win software in EVERY school, and in EVERY university there r some certain clear requirements for registration, for example, a diploma work. Often these requirements involve the use of Microsoft licensed fonts (like Times New Roman) or something like that. What would u say about that?

I can only confirm your words.
 
Hello @Bohdan Kovalchuk and others.

Kudos for writing such a wonderful article which helps me understand better (I live in Australia).

My concern is not with Ukrainian politicians per se, so no offence intended, but rather politicians worldwide whom have their own agendas (and sometimes their own buying price) and changes of government that can do an "about turn" on a previously established policy or program.

Witness Munich (google search under "munich mayor linux", or read Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LiMux) with the LiMux project.

I wonder what you folks think of the German example?

I will watch as developments unfold and wish all the best in any Linux endeavours.

Wizard
 
Hello @Bohdan Kovalchuk and others.

Kudos for writing such a wonderful article which helps me understand better (I live in Australia).

My concern is not with Ukrainian politicians per se, so no offence intended, but rather politicians worldwide whom have their own agendas (and sometimes their own buying price) and changes of government that can do an "about turn" on a previously established policy or program.

Witness Munich (google search under "munich mayor linux", or read Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LiMux) with the LiMux project.

I wonder what you folks think of the German example?

I will watch as developments unfold and wish all the best in any Linux endeavours.

Wizard
German example is a fantastic thing! But it seems to be so damn unreal here, in Ukranie...
 
Hello @Bohdan Kovalchuk and others.

Kudos for writing such a wonderful article which helps me understand better (I live in Australia).

My concern is not with Ukrainian politicians per se, so no offence intended, but rather politicians worldwide whom have their own agendas (and sometimes their own buying price) and changes of government that can do an "about turn" on a previously established policy or program.

Witness Munich (google search under "munich mayor linux", or read Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LiMux) with the LiMux project.

I wonder what you folks think of the German example?

I will watch as developments unfold and wish all the best in any Linux endeavours.

Wizard


Hi Wizz,

the last news I've seen regarding the German example, in the mainstream media, says that penguin is getting ditched for Windows, very likely somewhere in the close future. Here are few latest articles about it: http://www.channelfutures.com/chann...nux-heres-why-open-source-fans-shouldnt-worry, https://www.theinquirer.net/inquire...r-steps-to-ditch-linux-and-go-back-to-windows.


fin_
 
Thanks for those articles, fin_ , and I haven't had the opportunity yet to say Welcome to linux.org :)

I was aware of an election a couple of years ago, whereby the Mayor changed, and the new incoming Mayor reneged on the deal. However I was not aware that the disenfranchising of their Linux would take two years or more, thanks again.

Wizard
 
Hi Wizz,

the last news I've seen regarding the German example, in the mainstream media, says that penguin is getting ditched for Windows, very likely somewhere in the close future. Here are few latest articles about it: http://www.channelfutures.com/chann...nux-heres-why-open-source-fans-shouldnt-worry, https://www.theinquirer.net/inquire...r-steps-to-ditch-linux-and-go-back-to-windows.


fin_
And by the way there were some strange researches and surveys conducted by companies close to Microsoft. Theseresearches have shown some absolutely incredible results, according to which free software costs more to Munich, than Windows. This is not surprising: I repeat, these research companies are close to Microsoft.
 
Hi Wizz, and thank you :)... I have to say I'm only superficially familiar with this topic, so I am not the most competent interlocutor for the same, I can only guess the reasons for the possible/likely switch and why removing Linux is taking that much time, but those would be just guesses... I've read this post yesterday, and remembered that I've seen an article regarding that topic, saying that Munich is returning to Windows or something. Then I've google it and found the article I've read somewhere in the February this year, but as the article was pretty old I've looked to see if there were any newer that tackled that story, I found a few and posted it here because I thought you might find them useful, or something. And, no need to thank me, you're welcome, see you around...

fin_ (bye, cheers... I'm not sure what to put here :))
 
And by the way there were some strange researches and surveys conducted by companies close to Microsoft. Theseresearches have shown some absolutely incredible results, according to which free software costs more to Munich, than Windows. This is not surprising: I repeat, these research companies are close to Microsoft.


Hi Bohdan (in Croatian Bogdan, given by God, God's gift :), am I right?), nice to meet you, and, yeah, I understand what you mean... I think there isn't much I can add to that...

fin_
 

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