Weekly Backlog Week 39/2025

Linux Vs Windows

🧠 Editorial

Astronauts use Linux because you can’t open Windows in space – and honestly, sometimes I wish our interior ministries would take the same logic to heart. But we’ll get to that in a moment.

🚨 The Tech News of the Week

Lower Saxony Stops Palantir – Finally Someone with Backbone

Lower Saxony’s Interior Minister Daniela Behrens did the only right thing: she gave Palantir a clear rejection. Her statement “The system is, of course, a good system, but it is not manageable” hits the nail on the head.

With this, she exposes the absurdity with which the CDU and others blindly want to push this black-box technology into German police agencies. Software from Silicon Valley, closely linked with the CIA and US intelligence, without open code, without democratic control – all in the name of “efficiency”? No, thank you.

The Conference of Interior Ministers has long decided: we need European solutions, sovereign and transparent. Behrens delivered – and exposed the CDU. A compliment to Hanover: This is what leadership looks like.

🔗 Heise article: https://www.heise.de/news/Niedersachsens-Innenministerin-Polizei-Software-von-Palantir-nicht-beherrschbar-10642779.html

Microsoft Entra ID: One Token to Rule Them All

Golem reports: Hackers were apparently able to hijack any tenants via Microsoft’s Entra ID. Yes, you read that right. One token, and bam – “one ID to rule them all.”

Microsoft struggling with identity management is almost a tradition. But this time, it’s about the heart of modern cloud security. If there’s a flaw here, the entire ecosystem can go up in flames.

🔗 Golem article: https://www.golem.de/news/microsoft-hacker-konnten-wohl-beliebige-entra-id-tenants-kapern-2509-200233.html

USA Increases H-1B Visa Fees to $100,000

Donald Trump has drastically increased the fees for H-1B work visas by decree – a one-time fee of $100,000. Officially, this is supposed to “secure American jobs.” Unofficially, it means a direct hit against the US tech sector, which has relied on skilled workers from India and China for decades.

Microsoft, Amazon & Co. are already warning of talent migration abroad. Analysts speak of protectionism that may work politically in the short term but costs innovation in the long run.

🔗 Handelsblatt article: https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/h-1b-usa-verteuern-arbeitsvisa-auf-100000-dollar/100156843.html

🔍 Tools, Trends & Open Source

Kyverno or OPA? Our blog post explains which policy engine is the better choice for Kubernetes in regulated environments. 🔗 Blog post: /posts/kyverno-vs-opa-richtlinienkontrolle-fur-kubernetes-in-regulierten-umgebungen/

Storage in Kubernetes remains complex – from CSI to Longhorn to Ceph. Our deep dive explains the differences and shows which solution makes sense when. 🔗 Blog post: /posts/storage-in-kubernetes/

🎙 Podcast Recommendation

The “Magnificent Seven” and Global IT Dominance A must-listen episode from the Heise podcast: More semiconductors, more data centers, more AI – and a handful of US corporations controlling it all. Growth mania or digital monoculture?

🔗 Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2yVE2pKFw1IygAjiXa77H6

💬 Comment of the Week

Niklas Endemann reports on LinkedIn about the two-hour IT outage at Düsseldorf Airport. Conclusion: IT is no longer a side dish but critical infrastructure. Only when systems come to a halt does everyone realize what it really means.

🔗 LinkedIn post: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7374000003834363904/

🧪 Meme of the Week

That’s enough for this week. Between Palantir black boxes, Microsoft token chaos, and airport outages, only one constant remains: Linux in space.