Linux and the Python Ecosystem as Digital Commons : Between Promises of Empowerment and the Realities of Technological Oligopolies

Abstract Digital commons such as Linux and Python provide a technical alternative to technological oligopolies, as illustrated by public deployments like the LiMux project in Munich (total savings of €11 million between 2004 and 2017). While these solutions enable cost reductions and greater transparency, their adoption faces structural challenges: persistent reliance on private cloud infrastructures (70% of Linux servers are hosted by AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure), hidden migration costs (training, software adaptation), and the growing influence of private actors in their governance (60% of Linux kernel contributions now originate from corporate developers). Their emancipatory potential therefore depends less on their technical features than on their integration into proactive public policies and sovereign infrastructures. Keywords digital commons, free software, technological sovereignty, digital oligopolies, LiMux, decentralized governance, infrastructural dependency, hidden costs