After Microsoft announced the cessation of official sales of Windows in Russia, Google search has increased the number of requests to install pirated versions. According to the Google Trends service, depending on the specific request, the growth was 80-250%.

In June, one of the fastest growing requests was for a free download of Excel – there is an increase of 650%. At the same time, in the last week, the network began to search for Windows 10 Media Creation Tool 47 times more often than before, and with the exact name.

According to Kommersant, users in Russia faced the problem of downloading software from the official Microsoft website in late June, this could only be done via VPN. The corporation later explained the restrictions on downloads by “government order”, but did not specify which ones. And Microsoft President Brad Smith has said the company intends to reduce its presence in Russia until it leaves.

The growth of sales among private customers is observed in the developers of Russian systems based on Linux. They hope that in the long run the audience will triple, but so far it is only about hundreds of copies, at best – thousands. Experts doubt that users will switch to Linux en masse due to the complexity of the system. At the same time, they comment on the situation as follows:

Windows has relied on the development of programs and games for the average user, while Linux remains the area of ​​interest of the professional community. The Linux user must be advanced enough to configure drivers, programs, and other components.