Dutch government turns to NixOS for a sovereign desktop

The Dutch government is backing an effort to build a FOSS workplace for public administration, including a desktop operating system based on NixOS. The DAWO Project has been gestating for some months, but it just got a lot more visible thanks to an in-depth report on Dutch tech news site Tweakers.net. DAWO stands for "Digitaal Autonome Werkomgeving Overheid," or "Digital Autonomous Government Work Environment." Rather than a single product, its blueprint combines replaceable components for the operating system, cloud infrastructure, AI, communications, and collaborative working. Development remains at an early stage, but small-scale pilots are already under way within Dutch public bodies. The work acquired official status in July, when the Dutch government's ICBR – the Interdepartmental Committee on Government Operations – commissioned three government IT providers to develop a standardized, more sovereign digital workplace: DICTU, SSC-ICT and the ICT division of DUO, the Education Executive Agency. …