Quite the opposite. From the description in the article it will make Linux illegal unless distros and app stores comply with German law. It may ban installation of software from outside locked down app stores.
Something like kiosk mode does not cover it. It will have to be locked down to the point of uselessness. From the article:
"Only apps that have an approved youth protection program or a comparable suitable tool themselves will be accessible regardless of the pre-set age group."
I read the article. I just don’t share the criticism.
“Only apps from safe places can be installed.”
Yeah, d’oh. Otherwise, massive loophole.
Yes, it’s a Nintendo-ify button for a PC. It’s opt in. And very convenient for parents.
And if my kid wants to install something, it can come and ask me. Like I had to go and ask my dad before installing sth (before I got my own Linux machine with 14).
Linux might receive this too. Remember, Valve is using Linux for their Steam Deck/Machine/Flare, and they are selling well enough, that the law might apply to them at least.
As an American I will happily help my EU colleagues ignore this absurd law by any means necessary, even if it requires sending SD cards affixed to letters through the mail or embedding them in 3D printed trinkets. Or, more likely, simply emailing gzipped installers or providing convenient download links that circumvent whatever firewall is eventually set up (assuming this law sticks around, but it won’t).
