5 ms·

It's probably also related to the geopolitical context. The US has threatened war at least against Canada, Europe, Panama and China, while clearly eyeing an al

by Yoric 2y ago

It's probably also related to the geopolitical context. The US has threatened war at least against Canada, Europe, Panama and China, while clearly eyeing an alliance with Russia, which would in turn threaten many countries bordering Russia. That's a pretty large number of users who don't feel safe using US products anymore.

milesrout 2y ago
[flagged]
- gelert 2y ago
  While I agree the leap to linking geopolitics to LibreOffice's success is a stretch you are misrepresenting the American position. The President of the United states, its commander in chief, explicitly did not rule out military action when discussing his desire to bring Greenland and the Panama canal under direct American control. The rhetoric of making Canada the "51st state" while less explicit a threat is still one. Greenlanders, Panamanians and Canadians all clearly see these as threats.
- vanviegen 2y ago
  Saying you're planning to take over (part of) another state's territory, and that we'll "go as far as we have to" to do it, doesn't sound all that peaceful to me. And people seem to be learning to take Trump's insane talk seriously. So no, I don't think the connection with LibreOffice downloads is a "load of tosh", but just one example of a larger shift.
- concerndc1tizen 2y ago
  The US has literally expressed intent to annex Canada, Greenland, and Panama.
- Wololooo 2y ago
  Just to set the record straight even if this is going to be flagged Repeatedly The current administration has stated * That they would acquire Greenland by any means necessary https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense/3361358/us-security-greenland-acquisition-trump-arctic-dominance-china-russia/ https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense/3361358/us... * That they would Make Canada part of the US as its 51st State https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg198xxy1xo https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg198xxy1xo * That they would engage in trade war with Europe over alleged imbalance and loss in trade https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/27/trump-threatens-far-larger-tariffs-on-eu-and-canada-.html https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/27/trump-threatens-far-larger-t... Given this context, if you are not directly in the US or directly a US company, it makes a lot of sense to start to question your future ability as well as future costs for access to US controlled systems.
- surgical_fire 2y ago
  > US is trying to strengthen NATO by pushing the other members to spend more on defence And by threatening to invade Greenland (which is Danish territory). And by starting a trade war against EU. And by having the leaked messages of US vice president describing how much he despises Europe. The US has a very odd way of strengthening an alliance by alienating its allies.
  - Yoric 2y ago
    Don't forget that the US is also clearly supporting parties that are both against democracy and against the EU.
carlosjobim 2y ago
[flagged]
- Yoric 2y ago
  The actual phrasing I've heard was much harsher and I was trying to keep it more neutral for a public forum. Feel free to substitute.
  - shmoobadge 2y ago
    "Elbows up" isn't rude, so is suitable for fora, and for one country whose sovereignty has been directly threatened by the country where Microsoft is based, captures that attitude perfectly.
- cf100clunk 2y ago
  There is a tide turning, and it has been especially strong in the places mentioned in the parent comment to yours. People at large there are actively label-watching to sort out the U.S. products in favour of others. It is real and it is happening, so I'm led to believe that your exposure to popular sentiment from those places is low. Its not too late for you and others who would wave away international discontent with U.S. products to look around and adjust accordingly. The sooner that your preconcieved reactions i.e. ''dishonesty'' and ''false accusations'' are dissolved, the better for the world. In the context of this thread, I don't see the choice between LibreOffice and Office365 in the same way I see people putting back the Kentucky Bourbon and grabbing the Scotch or Canadian Rye in its place, to give a common example. A software purchase is strategic, not about instant gratification.
  - carlosjobim 2y ago
    [flagged]
    - cf100clunk 2y ago
      Consumers in the countries mentioned do not have to ''sound threatening'' when they look at the country of origin label on products and actively choose a non-U.S.A. alternative. Your reaction to that is of no concern to them when their sovereignty and jobs are threatened. This leads me to strongly believe that your exposure to current events in those places seems to be quite limited.
harvey9 2y ago
This could be checked by someone with access to country level sales numbers (or download numbers for libreoffice). Absent that, the recent price rise to pay for AI that most people don't need (since there are currently free of charge options elsewhere) is a more plausible explanation at a time when cost of living is a big topic in multiple countries.
- cf100clunk 2y ago
  That's a sensible response that seems to not be informed by recent buying trends in countries that are now grappling with sudden U.S. trade policy shifts. The sentiments are very strong, and need to be examined seriously by folks in the U.S. who will suddenly be feeling the negative effects. This is the world today, and it is taking a decidedly anti-U.S. tone for buyers and shoppers in other countries. To wit: https://www.newsweek.com/kentucky-bourbon-boss-bemoans-canada-tariffs-americans-will-suffer-2040605 https://www.newsweek.com/kentucky-bourbon-boss-bemoans-canad... https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn7vjlv7pzdo https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn7vjlv7pzdo https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/danish-viking-blood-boiling-danes-boycott-us-goods-119879965 https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/danish-viking-bloo...
  - harvey9 2y ago
    Trump wants to disrupt global trade so people making their own small disruption is an odd way to protest that, although I understand the sentiment. Shipyard Brewery are not my enemy and I hope I will continue to be able to buy their beer in the UK.
    - cf100clunk 2y ago
      When one person makes such a disruption, it is small. When entire countries are actively suppressing or removing U.S.-made products from the marketplace, the effects are of course much stronger, which is why I gave those links as only just a few examples.

by Yoric 2y ago

milesrout 2y ago

[flagged]

gelert 2y ago
While I agree the leap to linking geopolitics to LibreOffice's success is a stretch you are misrepresenting the American position. The President of the United states, its commander in chief, explicitly did not rule out military action when discussing his desire to bring Greenland and the Panama canal under direct American control. The rhetoric of making Canada the "51st state" while less explicit a threat is still one. Greenlanders, Panamanians and Canadians all clearly see these as threats.
vanviegen 2y ago
Saying you're planning to take over (part of) another state's territory, and that we'll "go as far as we have to" to do it, doesn't sound all that peaceful to me. And people seem to be learning to take Trump's insane talk seriously. So no, I don't think the connection with LibreOffice downloads is a "load of tosh", but just one example of a larger shift.
concerndc1tizen 2y ago
The US has literally expressed intent to annex Canada, Greenland, and Panama.
Wololooo 2y ago
Just to set the record straight even if this is going to be flagged Repeatedly The current administration has stated * That they would acquire Greenland by any means necessary https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense/3361358/us-security-greenland-acquisition-trump-arctic-dominance-china-russia/ https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense/3361358/us... * That they would Make Canada part of the US as its 51st State https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg198xxy1xo https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg198xxy1xo * That they would engage in trade war with Europe over alleged imbalance and loss in trade https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/27/trump-threatens-far-larger-tariffs-on-eu-and-canada-.html https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/27/trump-threatens-far-larger-t... Given this context, if you are not directly in the US or directly a US company, it makes a lot of sense to start to question your future ability as well as future costs for access to US controlled systems.
surgical_fire 2y ago
> US is trying to strengthen NATO by pushing the other members to spend more on defence And by threatening to invade Greenland (which is Danish territory). And by starting a trade war against EU. And by having the leaked messages of US vice president describing how much he despises Europe. The US has a very odd way of strengthening an alliance by alienating its allies.
- Yoric 2y ago
  Don't forget that the US is also clearly supporting parties that are both against democracy and against the EU.

carlosjobim 2y ago

[flagged]

Yoric 2y ago
The actual phrasing I've heard was much harsher and I was trying to keep it more neutral for a public forum. Feel free to substitute.
- shmoobadge 2y ago
  "Elbows up" isn't rude, so is suitable for fora, and for one country whose sovereignty has been directly threatened by the country where Microsoft is based, captures that attitude perfectly.
cf100clunk 2y ago
There is a tide turning, and it has been especially strong in the places mentioned in the parent comment to yours. People at large there are actively label-watching to sort out the U.S. products in favour of others. It is real and it is happening, so I'm led to believe that your exposure to popular sentiment from those places is low. Its not too late for you and others who would wave away international discontent with U.S. products to look around and adjust accordingly. The sooner that your preconcieved reactions i.e. ''dishonesty'' and ''false accusations'' are dissolved, the better for the world. In the context of this thread, I don't see the choice between LibreOffice and Office365 in the same way I see people putting back the Kentucky Bourbon and grabbing the Scotch or Canadian Rye in its place, to give a common example. A software purchase is strategic, not about instant gratification.
- carlosjobim 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - cf100clunk 2y ago
    Consumers in the countries mentioned do not have to ''sound threatening'' when they look at the country of origin label on products and actively choose a non-U.S.A. alternative. Your reaction to that is of no concern to them when their sovereignty and jobs are threatened. This leads me to strongly believe that your exposure to current events in those places seems to be quite limited.

harvey9 2y ago

This could be checked by someone with access to country level sales numbers (or download numbers for libreoffice). Absent that, the recent price rise to pay for AI that most people don't need (since there are currently free of charge options elsewhere) is a more plausible explanation at a time when cost of living is a big topic in multiple countries.

cf100clunk 2y ago
That's a sensible response that seems to not be informed by recent buying trends in countries that are now grappling with sudden U.S. trade policy shifts. The sentiments are very strong, and need to be examined seriously by folks in the U.S. who will suddenly be feeling the negative effects. This is the world today, and it is taking a decidedly anti-U.S. tone for buyers and shoppers in other countries. To wit: https://www.newsweek.com/kentucky-bourbon-boss-bemoans-canada-tariffs-americans-will-suffer-2040605 https://www.newsweek.com/kentucky-bourbon-boss-bemoans-canad... https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn7vjlv7pzdo https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn7vjlv7pzdo https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/danish-viking-blood-boiling-danes-boycott-us-goods-119879965 https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/danish-viking-bloo...
- harvey9 2y ago
  Trump wants to disrupt global trade so people making their own small disruption is an odd way to protest that, although I understand the sentiment. Shipyard Brewery are not my enemy and I hope I will continue to be able to buy their beer in the UK.
  - cf100clunk 2y ago
    When one person makes such a disruption, it is small. When entire countries are actively suppressing or removing U.S.-made products from the marketplace, the effects are of course much stronger, which is why I gave those links as only just a few examples.