The authorities called the timing of the decision on the pre-installation of Russian OS on computers

The Ministry of Digital Development is considering an initiative obliging retailers to sell personal computers (PCs) in RUSSIA only with a domestic operating system (OS) pre-installed on them, and expects a decision to be made in May. This was stated by the HEAD of the department Maksut Shadayev, RIA Novosti reports.

Earlier, the Kommersant newspaper, citing a source in the government, reported that the authorities could oblige retailers to pre-install the Russian OS on all personal computers that are shipped to Russia, and the Ministry of Digital Development is preparing a corresponding document.

“We are now considering such an initiative. As part of the law on presets, we can oblige the sale of devices only with pre-installed Russian programs. Therefore, we are now looking <...> We believe that in general it is necessary to give a signal that personal computers: monoblocks, desktops, laptops - should be sold with at least one Russian pre-installed system, ”Shadayev said.

According to him, the corresponding decision can be made before the end of May. “We proceed from technical maturity and the presence of a competitive market. In this sense, we understand that in terms of operating systems for desktops and laptops, in general, we have very good implementation indicators for 2022, and in general, we believe that there are no technical problems,” the minister said. At the same time, the innovation will not apply to smartphones, he added.

As Kommersant wrote, in November 2022, the Ministry of Digital Transformation conducted a survey among entrepreneurs to select "target" Russian operating systems. As a result, Astra Linux OS (Astra Group of Companies), Alt OS (Basalt SPO) and Red OS (Red Soft), which are based on Linux, were selected. According to the newspaper, the Ministry of Digital Development plans to introduce a project obliging to pre-install the Russian OS on PCs in the second quarter of 2023.

Kirill Nikitin, DIRECTOR of the law firm Vegas Lex, explained to the newspaper that now the seller has the right to refuse to pre-install the Russian OS, pointing out the lack of authority, but if the regulation changes, he will be obliged to do this under the threat of withdrawal of goods.

Aleksey Smirnov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Basalt SPO, noted that the pre-installation of the Russian OS will help to avoid illegal installations of MICROSOFT Windows , which does not receive security updates. However, if manufacturers are required to pre-install the Russian OS, this may lead to higher prices for products, warned Anton Guskov, representative of the Association of Trading Companies and Producers of Electrical Household and Computer Equipment (RATEK).

APPLE Corporation , which develops macOS, suspended sales on the Russian market on March 1, 2022. Another American company, Microsoft, which develops the Windows operating system, suspended the sale of new products and services in Russia on March 4. After that, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Vasily Shpak noted that he considers Microsoft's departure a positive step from the point of view of developers and manufacturers of domestic software.