Free Software : Will the DINUM Trigger Meaningful Change in the French State ?

Press release : April 10th, 2026

This seminar was organized at the initiative of the Prime minister, Sebastien Lecornu, of the minister in charge of the budget and public action, David Amiel, and the minister in charge of artificial intelligence and digital affairs, Anne Le Hénanff. When she was member of Parliament, Anne Le Hénanff was the co-author of a parliamentary report "on the challenges of cybersecurity" that warned against "the Microsoft trap"

The DINUM's press release lists several commitments :

The DINUM announces that it will leave Microsoft and move towards a free operating system that should be based on the NixOS distribution2. This concerns around 250 persons.

The DINUM will also coordinate an interministerial plan on the following topics : desktops, collaborative tools, anti-virus, artificial intelligence, databases, network equipments. Each ministry has to form its own plan by next autumn.

The DINUM will organise the "firsts industrial meetings on digital affairs" in June 2026, to gather ministries, public operators and private actors.

"It's an important signal that we have to acknowledge, as we wait to see the details of what the ministries' plans will do for a real strategic autonomy" declared Étienne Gonnu, public affairs officer for April and one of April's representatives in the Council of Free Software 3

April underlines that, when it comes to digital affairs, no dependencies reduction policies, or of strategic autonomy, can work without free software. And free software isn't just about code and products : it is also an emancipation ethic and a commitment towards stronger interoperability that should be central to public services 4. Lets hope that the absence of the term "free software" in the DINUM's press release doesn't translate into similar blind spots in the works and discussions to come.

• 1. In January 2026, the minister in charge of artificial intelligence and digital affairs, Anne Le Hénanff, declared that in 2025 the DINUM has initiated discussions on the development of desktops based on the Linux system, which strengthens sovereignty and limits programmed obsolescence
• 2. For the technical aspects, see Securix web page
• 3. The Council of Free Software was put in place and is conducted by the DINUM since 2022. It is composed, on the one side by civil workers from administrations using and developing free software, and the other side by actors of the ecosystem : associations and foundations gathering citizens, local administrations and businesses.
• 4. On this matter, see Germany's recent announcement